a thousand souls crossed over
by irishcookie
Summary: Bonnie is finally settling into life as the bridge between the living and the dead. That is until Kol Mikaelson shows up and refuses to leave until she does him a favor: give a message to his family in New Orleans. Of course, that is just the beginning. Set in Season 5 with shades of AU, crossover with The Originals. No set pairing at the moment.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: So I woke up this morning with an idea in head. It was very much inspired by the 100****th**** episode of TVD where Matt asked Bonnie if she sees anyone she knows. It was meant to be a quick Kennett drabble but now I have it as sketched out as a series. With the ideas in my head, I am making no promises as to an endgame pairing (if romance even comes to the forefront). It will cross over with **_**The Originals**_**. The title comes from a line in the song "Dance back from the Grave" by Marc Cohn (it's about New Orleans). I sincerely hope you enjoy! **

**A Thousand Souls Crossed Over**

**Part One**

"Little witch."

In truth, she has been waiting for this moment. Somewhere in the back of her mind. It's not as if she goes about her daily business expecting it to happen but she has always known intuitively that it would.

Therefore when she turns to face him, she is not wide eyed or slack jawed. Her lips are pressed together and her gaze is cool. He looks very much the same as he did when she left him pinned in the bowels of the school. Her head tilts just a little, an unconscious triumphant gloat. She had been able to pull the wool over his eyes - considering everything that followed, the time she had spent wandering the Other Side, she feels entitled to find whatever good she can in the situation.

"Hello, Kol," she states evenly. Thankfully, they are alone. Or, she is alone because he is not really there. If anyone comes across her, they will find her talking to the space in front of her. Perhaps they will chalk it up to freshman stress - midterms and papers. She doesn't worry about that now. She focuses all her attention on him, on how to make him go away.

"You've cut your hair. It suits you," he observes. He still has that look about him - predator watching prey even though he is the one who is dead and gone.

Her control falters. She makes a face. He hasn't sought her out to compliment her fashion sense. She recovers quickly, one arm crossing over the other. She will not, under any circumstance, ask him why he is here. She is not interested in giving him a podium to stand on. "I figured - time for a change, new chance at _life_ and all."

He raises a brow. Smiles.

"I've got class." She turns on her heels and leaves him standing there, hands jammed in the pockets of the jacket he died in.

**X**

She does most of her work in a study carrel in the library. It's easier this way. Her dorm is a bit chaotic - with two of out of three of them in various stages of a breakup. Caroline is always trying to think of novel ways to get over Tyler (Bonnie had never heard of a _post relationship luau_ until the other night) and Elena spends most of her time looking like a walking talking mop of brown hair. She almost feels guilty for being happy with Jeremy.

_Almost_.

Because truthfully, it's hard to feel guilty when you remember that you have spent months utterly alone watching the world move on without you. She deserves him - she deserves the smile he puts on her face.

Tonight she has her books spread out in front of her. She is lost in the complexities of physics (and wondering how many theories would change if the scientists who made them knew of the supernatural) when someone clears their throat. She blinks and looks up. Frowns.

Obviously their encounter the other day was not meant to a one-time thing.

The library is not quite as empty as the hall she first encountered him in. He leans against her carrel as she sighs, and gathers her things. So much for solitude. He follows her out into the cool fall evening. She decides to leave the first words to him and therefore takes a path that winds like a maze throughout the Whitmore campus. Kol is right beside her, hands clasped behind his back as if they are friends sharing a quiet moment. Finally, when they have nearly doubled back to where they started she whirls on her heels. "What?!"

He bows his head a little, a smile playing across his lips. "I would have followed you all night if you hadn't broken."

She furrows her brows. "Why?" It slips out almost on accident and she winces at how easily she has conceded. There - she supposes she has done it. Given him his platform.

"I'm bored."

_That's it?_ That is why she is now face to face with Kol Mikaelson. He is _bored?!_

Bonnie bristles, eyes narrowing to slits. He doesn't hold back his smile now. "I am not a source of entertainment. Go play hide and seek with the other ghosts."

"You know, just as well as I, how rare it is to find another here. You could walk for years and never see another soul." He moves so that he stands directly in front of her. His eyes travel over her in such a manner that her fingers twitch to strike him. "You on the other hand - you burn brightly. I can _see you_ no matter where I am. We all can. It's how the ones that get here find you. You are their North Star."

It would be almost poetic if one doesn't consider the realities of being the anchor. Or that the words come from him, the vampire who had once wrapped his hands so tightly around her neck in an effort to send her hurtling towards her own north star. "I don't care if I am lit up like a supernova. I am not going to let you use me as a cure for your boredom."

He tilts his head, a near mirror of the movement she had made the other day. He is ready to do a little gloating of his own. "Just how do you plan to stop me?"

**X**

Apparently he does find other things to amuse him because she does not see him for a few weeks. In all honesty, Bonnie had spent the first few days after he had laid down the taunt turning her head at every sound for fear that she would find him standing there grinning like the Cheshire cat. She was careful to avoid crowds in case he decided to pop up and demand her attention. She had glanced over her shoulder enough times for Caroline to pull her aside and ask her if she was okay (considering Caroline had been in the middle of backsliding into the crying stage of the breakup, Bonnie's actions must have been noticeable). Bonnie had shrugged it off.

Eventually, she had decided that she could relax. That maybe Kol had beaten the odds and was slinging mud at his father, or bitching about Klaus with Finn. Either way, she had sighed, let her shoulders drop and stopped expecting him.

Big mistake.

**X**

She turns on her side, burying her face into her pillow. There is a whoosh of breath that betrays her frustration. She is exhausted, so much so that she aches but yet she can't seem to drift off. Earlier a vampire had crossed. She had doubled over, her mouth forming a scream of pain that just would not come out. In the moments after it had happened, she had leaned heavily against the brick building, blinking away tears.

It always surprises her just how much it hurts.

She needs to rest but the pain is still there, curled in the bottom of her stomach. It will fade of course but that takes time. Right now she is losing precious sleep. She has a lab in the morning and she is not keen to being around an open flame on a few hours of rest. She utters a curse (ever so quietly of course - having two roommates with keen hearing has its downfalls) and turns once again.

There he is. Stretched out on her bed, his head resting in his palms as he stares at the ceiling. She can't even stop herself. She yelps.

Elena wakes first, her body snapping to a seated position at an alarming speed. Caroline is by Bonnie's bedside seconds later. They both look at her with wide eyes.

Kol laughs.

**X**

From that moment on, he becomes a regular fixture in her life.

Kol follows her to class, plops down beside her, and scoffs at the professor's interpretation of the French Revolution. "Niklaus started it, you know," he mutters as he stretches out his feet. They rest on the top of the blonde seated in front of him. Bonnie wonders if the living feels any inkling at all of the dead that surround them. She watches the girl for a moment, gets caught staring and receives a look that tells her she has just been filed away as 'strange' in the girl's eyes. Kol chuckles. "Making friends I see."

Bonnie sinks in her seat a little, content to ignore him. He spends the next hour telling her a tale of how Klaus had single handily turned a country upside down by being his 'usual prick of a self'. She never once bats an eye in his direction, doing her best to concentrate on the professor.

Later she discovers that bits of Kol's story have crept into her notes and snarls.

**X**

"I never went to college," Kol admits as she picks her fork through some baked pasta dish that looks as if it has been reheated from lunch time. Around her others are repeating the same action, no doubt contemplating breaking into their reserve cash to spring for some pizza. She breathes through her nose, and casually glances up. Her eyes met his and he smiles. "Lovely. You are at least acknowledging me. You hurt my feelings you know - ignoring me as you do."

Surprisingly it tastes better than it looks. Bonnie closes her eyes, wishing that Elena or Caroline had joined her instead of opting for a liquid supper. She would have something to concentrate on instead of _him_. It was harder when she was seemingly alone. Her voice is soft, a whisper that is almost inaudible. He has to lean in to hear her. "I am not crazy."

"Of course you're not!" He responds, making a face. "Why on earth would you think that?"

"I would be, if I carried on a conversation with you whenever you deemed it necessary to drop by," she counters. Her eyes dart around the door but thankfully no one has noticed her talking into her noodle surprise. "In their eyes…"

He scoffs. "Who the hell cares what a bunch of walking blood bags think of you?"

She does. Truly. College - that is supposed to be her bit of normal after the past year. She is supposed to do normal college things. Go to parties. Stay up all night studying. Eat Chinese takeout at all hours. Sleep til noon.

She _deserves_ it. Her high school career had been plagued by one near death experience after another. She wonders how she even pulled it together enough to be crowned Prom Queen let alone graduate. She just wants one thing that isn't wholly tainted by the supernatural. Sure, it's not perfect. There are times she has to leave a lecture to let someone through to the Other Side. Elena's doppelganger status still makes her a magnet for trouble - but Bonnie has been doing exceptionally well at filtering those things into different compartments. College isn't tainted yet.

Kol is making her rethink that. Just by being there.

She doesn't answer his question. Somehow she thinks he figures out what she would have said anyway. She just sits there, a mouthful of her supper half chewed and wonders if there is any way she can take it back.

"I never went to college," he repeats. "But then again, I never really had a chance. Niklaus was always sticking me in that bloody box for bad behavior. I think I would have liked it though - or at least liked the easy access to a meal."

Noodle surprise quickly loses what little appeal it had going for it.

**X**

She has to admit, she misses being a witch. She misses that connection to the earth, the feel of power flowing through her body. She had come so far in just a few years; from floating feathers to raising the dead (she never dwells on the fact that that rapid progression is why she is no longer a witch). She tells herself when she longs for power that she did as much good as she could in the time she had.

However, she still longs.

Especially right now, as she writes the dreaded midterm.

Kol is right beside her, singing what she can only assume is a myriad of filthy limericks. She is trying her best to concentrate on the complexities of the question but it is hard when some of the things that slip from his mouth cause her eyes to bulge. She wishes desperately for her magic so she can make him stop. She can practically see every blood vessel in his head pop time and time again until he is on the ground writhing in pain. She wouldn't stop there - she'd throw him so far into the Other Side he would wander for a decade just to find her 'bright light'.

But of course as much as she wants her magic, she doesn't get it.

When the proctor calls time, she still has at least ten questions to complete. She throws him such a look of fury that he falls silent. He remains silent as he follows her from the exam room. She stomps her way off campus with him on her heels. She doesn't stop until she isolates herself. The only other being she sees is him. Weeks of frustration boil over.

"Are you trying to **punish** me for leaving you there? Is that it? Because I wouldn't let you unleash hell on earth!" She cries and is surprised to find that her whole body shakes in anger. "Is this how I am going to spend eternity? With you?"

He looks surprised. Honestly. She falls silent as she takes in the dumbfounded look on his face. "Punish you - there's a novel idea. I wish I had actually thought of it. My last moments on the proper side of life were spent with the girl who helped kill me. Hardly the way I had thought I would go."

Bonnie sags a little, so angry that tears glitter her eyes. "If not to punish, Kol, then _what?_"

Kol doesn't answer her right away. He merely watches her in the state she is currently in. She almost thinks he pities her and envisions tackling him to the ground to sink her nails into his skin but then remembers that it will do no good. "I lied." Her jaw falls slack and her brows push together as she waits for him to clarify the statement. "It wasn't boredom that brought me to you. I need something."

"I can't bring you back, Kol. It's not a two way door," she tells him.

He bows his head and she hears him laugh. "Oh no no, I am well aware that is now my fate. Forever doomed to wander. That is not what I need from you."

"Just _tell _me," she says and realizes she is not averse to pleading. Begging. _Anything _if he would just get to the heart of it all. She has spent weeks listening to him, knowing he was right behind her, fearing that the next time she would press her lips to Jeremy's that he would be in the corner ready to provide commentary.

"I need to speak with my family," he finally says, his voice having taken on a tone she has never heard. It's solemn with just a hint of longing. "And you need to help me."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Thank you, thank you, thank you for your lovely feedback. You have no idea how excited I get to read it! I am glad you guys are digging the premise. For the purposes of this story I am going with the assumption that Jeremy can't see ghosts since returning from the dead (because it seems to come and go on the show). I hope you continue to enjoy where this little tale takes you. I am having fun writing it. **

**A Thousand Souls Crossed Over**

_Part Two _

She turns him down of course.

Flat out refuses to even hear any more of it. He stands ramrod straight and thankfully does not follow as she quickly retreats to the relative safety of her dorm room. She sinks down on her bed, embracing the rare silence and just blinks. 

Contact _the Mikaelson's_?

As far as Bonnie is concerned the moment they left Mystic Falls a weight had been lifted. Sure, it's not perfect but they no longer have to worry about the Original Family Feud. Klaus and the rest of them can level New Orleans to the ground - she is **not** wandering into the fray. 

The door opens and Bonnie's head shoots up, eyes wide as if she expects Kol to be standing there. Instead it is Caroline, who mirrors Bonnie's look of trepidation. "That bad?" 

"What?" 

Caroline is quick to settle on the bed beside her. "If helps, I think I bombed my midterm too. Why couldn't one of the perks of being a vampire be photographic memory?" She huffs and lays her head on Bonnie's shoulder. Bonnie's tilts so it rests against the blonde's. She is perfectly okay letting Caroline think she failed her test (because she most likely did). It saves her from explaining how long Kol Mikaelson has been lurking around in the shadows making faces behind her back. The last thing she needs is to trigger the mother hen instinct in Caroline Forbes. Though her heart is in the right place, it is not pretty.

In the end the two lay back on the bed, side by side and stare at the ceiling.

"I thought it was going to be different, you know," Caroline finally says, her voice a bit listless. Her fingers trace circles in Bonnie's bedspread and she sighs. "College, I mean. I thought it would be a fresh start." She pauses. "I guess...in a way it is. It just…"

"...hurts," Bonnie finishes. She glances over at her best friend and sees the pain etched over her face. She feels helpless and despises it. When she was still trapped on the Other Side, watching everyone's life as if she were looking in a mirror she had gotten used to that feeling. She would scream in frustration knowing that no one could hear her. The people she loved needed her and she could do little. She thought she rid herself of that feeling when she came back.

It was a lovely thought.

Bonnie takes a deep breath. "It will get better, you know. It sounds like a cliché, and I suppose it is. But really, it will."

"I know," Caroline answers, in a matter of fact manner. She sounds as if she had come to that conclusion weeks ago and is now just waiting for it to happen. "I still love him. I always will. I am just counting down to the day that I can say that and not feel like someone just punched me in the boob."

Bonnie makes a face at Caroline's choice of words. A moment later she snorts and covers her mouth with the back of her hand to stifle it. She gives Caroline a sheepish look. "Sorry."

"It's okay. I meant it that way. Laughing is better than crying," she says but she can't quite bring herself to join in.

There is a moment of silence, but it is a comfortable one.

Calm before the storm.

"You know, I hear there is a moment in college where two friends look into one another's' eyes and throw caution to the wind. Lips meet and a new passion is explored. I believe this is _your_ moment."

Every part of Bonnie's body tenses. Beside her, Caroline notices and she pulls herself up on her elbows. "Bon?"

Kol chuckles and Bonnie's eyes finally fall on him. He is leaning against the fireplace, one arm crossed over another. She wonders how long he has been there, what he has heard. "Just how are you going to explain this one, little witch?"

She has to say something. Caroline is two breaths away from launching herself into full worry wort mode. It comes to the surface much quicker these days - for obvious reasons. Both occupants of the room (the seen and the unseen) watch her expectantly. She sits up slowly. "I...was just thinking about how spectacularly I blew that midterm today that's all. I need to try harder."

Caroline relaxes a little. "We both do. Let's do it together, okay? We can be each other's study buddies. Oh_!_ I think I saw some study snack packs on Pinterest! Brain food!" She claps her hands together and launches herself off Bonnie's bed in search of her phone.

As Caroline digs through her purse, Bonnie glances over at Kol. He presses his lips and shrugs.

"Beautiful recovery."

**X**

"So is this how it is going to work now?" Bonnie asks as she walks. It's near nightfall and there are few others milling about on campus. She is not as worried about anyone coming upon her muttering to herself. "You're just going to be my shadow until I give in."

"It seems a solid plan," Kol retorts. He has fallen in line with her steps, close enough that she can feel him.

It still unnerves her to realize that the living and the dead appear much the same. She thinks of Amara, of how in her final days she couldn't even tell the difference between the two. She had shied away from any form of contact for fear of the pain that might come with it. Is that her fate? To one day question what is truly here, to be driven out of her mind? She sometimes worries that it might be, but then she reasons that Amara was alone, trapped with no one to ground her. She has Jeremy, Caroline, Elena - _living_ beings that will keep her rooted to the right side of things.

"Are you forgetting what happened the last time you tried to get me to play my hand in your favor?" Bonnie asks, tucking her study notes into her bag. She is thinking a healthy dose of sugar and a night spent pouring over her textbook is in order. She has a feeling the Original beside her has other plans.

"I haven't - and I must say that was an impressive move. I never saw it coming. You are much more intelligent than I initially gave you credit for," he states.

"Flattering me is not going to make a difference," she tells him. And she means it. She has always been stubborn; it is what has allowed her to go into battle despite knowing the odds time and time again.

"I am well aware of that." He laughs and Bonnie's step falters. She has quickly learned that nothing good follows that sound. "I know to win this fight I am going to have to be much more cunning than that. Or - " And here it comes. "I can just stick to my plan as you outlined it. Be _your_ shadow. Never leave your side. Picture it. Late night conversations. One sided at first of course; we wouldn't want the doppelganger and the blonde to think you are losing your mind. But sooner or later, you'll start answering. You won't be able to help it. Sleep deprivation wears down one's resolve, no matter how firm it is in the beginning. I will let you get some rest of course. I am not entirely a monster. While you're drifting off, I'll amuse myself by watching you. Or Elena. I might just lean over her sleeping form and whisper all the ways I wish for her to suffer. Who knows? Maybe one or two will twist their way into her nightmares."

She can no longer listen passively. She turns toward him, eyes blazing. Her first instinct is to bend in the name of protecting her friend. She has done it often enough that it is almost like breathing. At the last second, however, she reminds herself of one simple fact. He is dead; Elena is alive: they exist on two very different planes. "You can't hurt her. She doesn't know are there. She'll never know. You can throw a temper tantrum in the middle of the dorm over what she has done to you and the only one that can hear you is me. I can take it."

He leans in now, so close that all she can see is the black of his eyes. "We'll see."

**X**

Jeremy plans to come to visit that weekend.

Instead of being excited, she finds herself dreading it. Kol has pretty much stuck to the plan he outlined - following her everywhere like a puppy demanding attention (hardly an accurate comparison but it is the best she can do on few hours' sleep). She has made gains in her ability to ignore him, especially when it comes to sitting in lecture halls. It is not perfect (for his voice creeps into her notes) but it is a start.

But still - there are unguarded moments that he manages to completely dominate.

Like the shower incident.

He had been sitting on her bed as she gathered her things for a much needed dose of hot water. She had given him the eye before slipping into the bathroom but he hadn't even glanced in her direction.

It was a mistake to think she would get five minutes of uninterrupted solitude.

She hadn't even realized he had followed at first. She had been too engrossed in the idea of absolute quiet (the hiss of the shower doesn't count) to notice him with his rear plunked on the sink. He had waited too, choosing just the right moment to leisurely announce that he despised shower curtains, but could fill in the rest with his imagination.

Her scream had brought both Caroline and Elena running. They had crowded in the bathroom, Elena so close to Kol that he had taken a fruitless swipe at her. Bonnie had told them she saw a bug, a big one at that. That had been enough to set Caroline off and even Elena had grimaced. Both had left her with him.

"You can't stay in there forever," he had reminded her.

No, but she was not giving him a free show. She had turned off the water, and stuck her hand out to blindly grope for the towel. After a few awkward attempts her fingers wrapped around it and she had yanked it into the safe zone. She hadn't even bothered to dry off, instead just twisting it around her so she could fly out of the shower. With hair plastered to her face and dripping wet skin, she had leveled her best glare at him.

He had laughed.

Which is why she is not looking forward to Jeremy's visit - Kol is not deterred by her. In fact, she is quite sure that he is amused by her attempts to banish him. She can only imagine him playing third wheel on her date. It isn't pretty.

Of course even her imagination cannot hold a candle to reality.

Jeremy is a little put out from the beginning. He has noticed her distracted demeanor. Add to that, Bonnie has stopped him from coming the past week (under the guise of midterms of course) and Jeremy is left feeling disposable. She has a bit of work to do to get him to smile but when he does, she relaxes a little. Her arm is looped through his so that their fingers can tangle together. Her head falls to his shoulder and he turns his to brush his lips over her hair. She lets her eyes fall close, blocking out the rest of the world, blocking out _him_ (which is never a smart move but she can't help herself).

"In truth," Kol begins and she screws her eyes shut tightly. Out of sight, out of mind (funny how that is _never_ true). "I never quite understood your attraction to this one. I spent time with him, you know. In Denver. Pretended to be his friend and everything. He is _unremarkable_ in every way. Quite frankly, a woman of your caliber deserves much better."

She almost hisses aloud for him to shut up but then she knows how Jeremy will react to that. Her eyes slowly open, finding Kol stretched out on Caroline's bed this time. He looks out of place on lavender sheets but then again that is his point, isn't it?

Jeremy's lips are at her temple now, pressing more insistently. His hand glides over the curve of her hip and it is clear what is on his mind. Her head tips back so she can meet his eyes, and her mind races to think of what she can say that will let down him gently. She doesn't even get to speak; instead he is kissing her, making up for lost time. Bonnie is tense for a split second but then her hand is sliding up his chest to tangle in the hair at the back of his head.

"He told me about the ghost chick. _Anna_, right?" Kol continues as if he does not have a front row seat. Bonnie's fingers curl and jerk in an automatic response to the painful memory. Jeremy makes a noise. Pain? Kol continues unabated. "He poured the whole story out after one beer. How he had this great thing going but he screwed it all up because he just couldn't help himself. He _wanted _to kiss her. He _had_ to kiss her. And it was, by his own account, a _hell_ of a kiss."

Bonnie pulls back, her eyes wide and blazing. Jeremy looks utterly lost as to her sudden shift in mood. Her chest is heaving, consumed by the memory of how she felt when she realized she couldn't compete with a ghost. She tells herself it is silly. Jeremy clearly has shown whom he loves.

But still, it _aches_.

"I'm sorry," she whispers, letting go of her grip on his hair. He is searching her face, no doubt looking for a clue. "There's...just a lot going on right now. With school. And both Elena and Caroline hurting over their breakups." Not to mention the Original now standing behind Jeremy with a look of self-satisfaction. "I just...my head is everywhere but where it should be."

Jeremy takes a pause. "Okay. We can just chill," he tells her but there is a stiffness to his voice that tells her he is adding this to the pile of her behavior lately and coming up with his own conclusions. She wants to prove him wrong. She wants to throw her arms around him, press her mouth to kiss. Forget about Anna (she is long gone anyway). But she can't forget about Kol - and even if she tried, he would remind her.

Jeremy leaves in the morning. She gives him a kiss to erase the previous night's behavior and thankfully he returns it with gusto. She promises that she'll make it up to him. Soon. When he is out of sight, she turns.

Of course, Kol is standing there.

**X**

"Your brother tried to kill me. More than once," Bonnie tells him.

"You should consider it an honor. He finds most people too insignificant to waste the energy on," Kol retorts. He is plunked down right beside her, shoulder to shoulder. She is staring straight ahead at the empty dorm room. Elena and Caroline are at a party to officially celebrate surviving midterms (not that a college needs a reason to party). They had tried to convince Bonnie to come but she is too worried about the devil on her shoulder to let loose properly. She knows that they both realize something is inherently wrong and it is only a matter of time before they try to get to the bottom of it like the good friends they are.

"Come to think of it, Elijah tried to kill me too. Only, Stefan and Damon thought they'd be smart and found a loophole instead." Which involved turning her mother into a vampire, something else she would forever have a kneejerk reaction too. "Why would I want to get within a hundred feet of them, Kol?"

"Fair point. But the alternative is to have me encroach on every part of your life. Seems to me you are caught between a rock and a hard place," he states as if he is there to help her find a solution instead of being part of the problem. "Though I am sure I am a delight to be around I doubt the total loss of social interaction not to mention the decimation of your intimate life is worth it in the end."

"Emotional blackmail on a Monday night," she muses aloud. She is weary in so many ways. "I should have gone to the party. I could have gotten drunk."

He continues on as if she hasn't spoken. "I think you are a capable girl. You can handle my family. Besides, once they realize why you are there, they will be less likely to go for the throat…"

"Unless they would rather not talk to you," she says before she can stop herself. There is a flash of something on his face and she finds herself regretting her choice in words.

"I will leave," he states, his tone more businesslike than it was moments before. "After it is all said and done. You will never have to see my face again."

She is silent. So much so that she can hear the thump of the bass from across the campus. Her tongue darts out to wet her lips and she glances to him.

"You _promise_?"

**X**

Telling her friends that she is taking some time off is easier than she first thinks. Yes, they try to talk her out of it. Yes, they ask a thousand questions but she has one simple answer: she needs to slow down, acknowledge what she has lost instead of trying to ignore it. She has been _dead_ for God's sake. She has watched her father die, been forced to be an invisible observer at his funeral. These are things that she shouldn't be able to so easily bounce back from. She plays it off as if she has been in avoidance mode, burying herself in college life in hopes that maybe she can push down the pain (maybe there is some truth to that).

It is impossible for Caroline and Elena to argue with that. Even Jeremy comes around after a few phone calls. She tells them all that she is not running away from them, nor her second chance at life. Instead, she is just putting a few things on pause until she wraps her head around everything. She'll be at her mother's; it's quiet, out of the way...the perfect place to think. She promises to text every day. Call too. She even emails professors and ensures that she will not be throwing away all the work she has done thus far (even if some of it is less than stellar).

She hopes to be a few days, but she plans for the worst (this is the Mikaelson family she is talking about).

After one last rib bruising hug from Caroline, Bonnie leaves Whitmore with Kol in tow. She decides to take the bus. It's the cheapest option and frankly in the hours it takes to get to New Orleans she is hoping to formulate a solid backup plan if things go south (she nearly snorts at the word _if_). Instead of scheming however, Bonnie nods off with her head pressed to the glass of the window. For the first time in a while, she gets hours of interrupted sleep. When she awakes it is pitch black out. She blinks, arching her back much like a cat to work out the kinks.

"Feeling better?" Kol asks and she swivels her body to realize he has seated himself next to her. Funny, she remembered plunking herself down next to a rather benign looking old lady. Though she supposed it didn't matter - Kol was not really taking up the space, not in the physical sense at least. "I believe you've been sleeping for about...eight hours now."

She frowns, checks her phone to confirm he is telling the truth and then rubs the back of her neck. She supposes she is no longer exhausted but there is no _feeling better_. Not with what she is about to do. She glances out the window and notes the blur of lights, buildings. This is not Smalltown, USA. Her nerves start to dance.

When there is a whoosh of air, followed by a high pitched squeal that signalled the bus is slowing down moments later, she wonders if she is squirming in her seats. She has no choice but to stand, grab her bag from the compartment overhead and walk off the relative safety of the bus to the unknown.

She crosses her arms over her chest, an automatic move to make herself feel _safe_. Beside her, Kol takes a deep breath as if he can actually enjoy his surroundings. When he looks at her, he grins.

"Welcome to the Big Easy, little witch."

**And thus begins Bonnie's adventures in New Orleans. I know some people indicated that they don't watch The Originals so I hope you won't be lost. I plan to introduce the characters through Bonnie's eyes so it is like you are meeting them for the first time anyway. Thanks again for reading! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Wait, what is this? An update?! ****I have to say I apologize profusely for seemingly abandoning this story. Admittedly my life isn't exactly conducive to writing like it used to be and I seem to have a love/hate relationship with TVD. I will say this —- I really enjoy **_**The Originals**_**and I envision this story as a crossover with the universe that has been created there. I am excited by the potential with this story and I think this is as close to a Bonnie harem story as I can get (because I really don't know what the end game pairing is if there is one at all). If you are still with me, I thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy! **

**A Thousand Souls Crossed Over **

_Part Three_

When the bus pulls away there is a sense of finality. She is in New Orleans. Stuck (well, until a return trip can be booked).

She can't very well stand there all night (though there is part of her that thinks it is not such a bad idea). The strap of her bag is pulled to rest on her shoulder and she begins to walk. She does not check to see if Kol is behind her. In her head she sees the map she has carefully studied. _Turn right at the end of this block_.

"Where are you going?" He asks. He is not behind her. Rather he beside her, slowing his gait so that they walk in unison.

"Creole Inn," she answers. "Approximately twenty minutes from here." She glances at him expectantly, as if to indicate he should use the time to explain why she is here in the first place. Thus far, she has avoided asking him straight out why it is he wants to see his family. But now that she is actually here, she thinks she deserves a heads up (in fact she _will_ get a heads up before she goes anywhere near Klaus Mikaelson).

Instead of taking the hint, Kol makes a face. "Why would you want to do that?"

"What? Check into a roof over my head? _Walk?_" She retorts. "In case you haven't noticed, I am not exactly rolling in money. This is the cheapest place I could find and I am not splurging on a cab. This is _not a vacation, _Kol. This is me going _whatever_ it takes to get you to leave me alone." She stops on the sidewalk which forces him to mimic her movement and narrows her eyes. "Start talking."

He cocks a brow. "Here? Where anyone can bear witness to you speaking to thin air?"

"I don't know anyone here." Only that is not true. She knows the Mikaelson's - she just wants to be fully prepped for when they came face to face once again. "I don't care what people think of me. I just want to get this over and done with."

"So eager," he chides. "In the midst of a historic city and already looking to leave." He begins to walk again, his hands stuffed in his pockets. She watches him for a moment, wondering just what it is that he is doing. He has backed her into a corner in the name of getting her here. Wouldn't he want to get straight to business? Right now, he looks calm, cool, without a care in the world. She might hate him just a little bit more because of it.

"Kol," she says and that hatred is evident in her voice.

He glances down, nonplussed and gives a jerk of his hand. "I believe you want to take a right here. If my memory serves me correctly."

**X**

Because she has slept on the bus, she is not tired despite the late hour.

Bonnie lies back on the bed (too soft for her tastes) and stares at the ceiling. The inn was just as advertised - a roof over her head in the heart of the Quarter. There is nothing extravagant or ornate. Instead she has four walls, a place to lie down and a shower. Her jacket is tossed and her bag is shown the corner. She will not unpack. Unpacking means she is settling for a while.

He is at the window, glancing down at the street below. He hasn't said much since arriving, merely quipped about the 'hideous' wallpaper before taking his perch. She has a feeling if this keeps up it will be a long night.

Her fingers drum a beat on the comforter as the silence stretches into uncomfortable territory. She is tempted to speak but there is no point. Unless Kol is going to confess everything, she is just wasting her breath.

He on the other hand has no problem wasting his (non-existent as it is).

"This city has so much history. Even before _we_ came, though we have certainly left our mark on it." There is a wistful quality in his voice that stills her fingers. She sits up, her gaze falling on him. He is still at his post in the window. He turns his head so that they lock eyes. "Political intrigue, battles, storms that nearly swept the city under - yet it has always endured. I think it is fitting that we chose to come here. Though, admittedly, I had no say in the matter."

She thinks it over a moment. "You were daggered."

"On account of my bad behavior," he commented wryly. "I missed the first few decades in this city. Of course when I had served my time I was able to enjoy the fruits of my brother's labor. A prince of New Orleans."

He needn't go on. She can picture just how he would enjoy his 'title'. Bodies pile up in her mind. The look on her face must be one of disgust because he is grinning. She sits up a little straighter on the bed. "And just how long before you were returned to your coffin?"

His smile falters.

She counts it as a victory. Admittedly, she will never understand the dynamics of the Original Family. She lacks their age and experience. However - daggering, shoving one another in a box for decades; there is absolutely no logic to that. Not that she is going to point that out to him though. He already looks like he is smarting a bit and no doubt she will pay in some manner for her pithy remark. Despite her earlier comment that this is not a vacation, she'd rather not sit around and wait for him to decide how.

Bonnie stands, stretching out limbs still cramped from the bus ride. She reaches for her jacket, which has landed on the dresser. He doesn't speak until she is buttoning it up. "Where to, little witch?"

She turns, her fingers fumbling with the top button. "Like you said, there's too much history to be seen. And considering I am not about to fall asleep - carpe diem."

**X**

She could just follow the crowd as it were. Apparently nighttime is as good as any to explore New Orleans. Bonnie is tempted, for a moment, to slip into the line that is slowly shuffling into one of the many bars. Even from her vantage point, she can hear the alcohol infused laughter. Considering how her life has so easily unwoven in the past few weeks, she could use a bit of that.

"Do remember that I will not hold your hair when you are sick in the morning, darling." His voice is low, spoken directly in her ear. She shivers and then sends a glare over her shoulder. He is grinning again.

Apparently Kol can shuck off a barb easily. Or at least appear to have done so. She steps around the line with a sigh. "Throwing up in front of you is taking our relationship a step too far, don't you think?"

"I sincerely forget that you have some bite to you until it is almost too late," he states and she thinks he sounds a bit proud of her. She can do without that - she can do without Kol Mikaelson beaming with pride in her corner. "Do you speak that way to my brother?"

She doesn't hesitate. "Yes."

"And you still live. I would venture to say that you and he have some sort of unspoken understanding."

Bonnie scoffs. "One that involved my ability to scramble his brain in such a manner that he didn't have the luxury of killing me." She presses her lips together and then turns toward him. "The night...the night you _died_ I trapped him the Gilbert house. With your body. That was the last time I ever stood face to face with Klaus. He is _not_ going to be welcoming when he sees me again and I can't hold him back." It's a scary thought. She has seen Klaus possessed with anger and fury, has seen the aftermath.

"Ah, but you forget. You are the anchor. Immortal. He can't kill you," Kol points out, seemingly nonplussed that she has just admitted to pinning his brother in with his remains.

"No, but he can_ hurt_ me."

**X**

Without any sort of spoken arrangement to the fact, Kol becomes her tour guide. There had been a few tense moments after her correction of his statement but then he had broken into a cheery grin she is coming to know quite well and announced they were so close to Jackson Square that they may as well venture on over.

It's nearly deserted at this time of night. There are few people, wandering in packs (no doubt under the influence) but she is the only one that _appears _to be alone. She realizes that this sets her apart should anyone think of 'relieving' her of her belongs (they will be disappointed as it were). Still, her lingering nerves can't take away from the beauty of this place altogether. In fact, she finds herself sinking down on a bench and just _watching_.

"If we had come earlier in the day, you would have found this place much more alive. Music of all sorts, tarot readers - most full of it but a few with the actual gift, people looking to sell you homemade charms and potions…" He trails off. Bonnie gets the feeling that no matter how short his time in New Orleans, Kol has formed an attachment to this city.

"It sounds like a tourist trap," she tells him and decides she likes Jackson Square better like this.

"Be that as it may, there are hidden gems among the peddlers. I once found a powerful witch not far from here. She did not even know what she possessed. It was something to see...how she came into her own, how others to grovelled…"

Bonnie closes her eyes, her head dipping. That is not what magic is to her. Revelling in it, using it to force others to cower. Though it would be hypocritical for her to point it out. Her use of expression (and how she had _enjoyed_ it) keeps her silent as he prattles on about his little protégé. Finally she looks to him. "You _like_ them. Witches."

He grins as if she has unlocked one of his secrets (though if she thinks on it, it is poorly kept). "I have always maintained a healthy respect for those who practice magic."

"Your hands around my neck could speak to the opposite," Bonnie tells him and her chin is tilted up now, as if she has gotten the better of him.

Kol shrugs. "Collateral damage I am afraid. We were at war, on opposing sides and at the time you were the key to everything. Removing you from the situation seemed the best option."

Bonnie's lips quirk at the memory of him on his knees in front of her, his face twisted in pain. "Seems like you chose wrong."

Kol's brows push together and then he too smiles. "That I did."

It takes her a moment to realize that this isn't right. Him waltzing them around memory lane instead of getting straight to the point. Her relaxing as she takes in the sights. The two of them sitting side by side on a bench, laughing as if they are old friends (that one seems worst of all, especially since the memory they are caught up in started with his desire to _kill_ her).

Has she really forgotten, even for a second, just why she is here?

She stands abruptly and he looks caught off guard. She doesn't owe him any explanation (in fact it is the other way around) so she starts walking in the general direction that they have come. He waits and beat or two and then falls in line with her step. Though she doesn't owe him, the silence gets to her. "Look, I am not here so you have someone to relive your glory days with," she begins. "I have a _life_. Things...people I am rather attached to. I'd like to get back to that."

His features darken and whatever camaraderie (as twisted as it may seem) they had experienced moments before is gone. "Think about what you said - you have a _life_. I don't. Your friends decided that my death was worth that stupid cure that got them no further ahead in the end."

"Collateral damage."

She regrets the words the moment fall off her lips. It is said with none of the humor that was found in Kol's explanation. Instead it appears very much as she meant it to: a chance to throw his words back in his face.

It comes as no surprise to her that his hand snakes out so that his fingers can wrap tightly around her arm. _Not really here_, she tells herself immediately as if she needs a reminder of the reality of the situation (perhaps she does because she can feel his thumb digging into her skin). He appears just short of seething, eyes glittering as he dips his head in. "You've been here, Bonnie. Where I am now. Alone and in the dark, wandering. Tell me, would you wish that on _anyone_?"

A year ago she might have said she would. A year ago she might have thought it a perfect ending for monsters like Kol and his family. But she has experienced the reality of the Other Side. Near the end, her mind had practically caved in on itself. If it wasn't for Jeremy, if it wasn't for having someone to cling to she would have gone mad. "No." Her voice is shaky, her eyes wide with memories she'd rather forget. He seems satisfied with her answer and his hand falls away.

"This is not a leisure trip, little witch," he tells her. "You have real purpose for being here. However, if I want to take a moment to remember what it is like to be _alive_ and walk these streets, surely you will not begrudge me that."

Bonnie doesn't respond. Instead she takes a deep breath and begins to walk again. Though she is still headed for her room, her steps are slower now. She thinks if she lets him get the nostalgia out of his system then maybe, _just maybe_, he will finally divulge whatever it is that has caused him to drag her here in the first place.

He follows, giving her some much needed space. For a moment or two she forgets he is even there.

That is, until he launches into a story of his dalliance with a lady of the night.

Turns out she was a werewolf.

_Of course_.

**X**

She skitters to a stop as she turns a corner.

It takes her a moment to realize why. Bonnie's hand is on her chest and she takes a shaky breath. _Death_. There is death here - or there was. She sees no one in the empty side street but she can feel it. The remnants hangs heavy in the air, like a fog threatening to choke her. Behind her Kol is speaking of what a _hairy_ situation he found himself in but she is no longer paying attention. Instead she wanders into the thick of it, each step cautious. Finally she can't force herself to go any further so she stills.

"Bonnie?"

Her head turns to find Kol standing at the end, regarding her as if she has lost her mind. She thinks he is a few years too late to be looking at her like that. "Someone died here."

"In this city, someone died _everywhere_," he tells her.

"It's more than that," Bonnie retorts and she swivels as if the reason is going to make itself apparent.

It does.

Her features knit together as she sees it. Etched onto the side of a red brick wall in white chalk. A circle with a symbol dead center - hastily drawn but one she knows. She moves toward it just as Kol finally decides to follow. He is muttering something about detours. She is too busy reaching forward to trace her finger over the edge of the circle. She hisses, pulling back as if she has been burned. He stops beside her and eyes the creation with an untrained eye and a scowl on his face. "What the bloody hell is this?"

"Magic - and not the good kind," she answers and she suddenly wishes she had opted to stare at the ceiling of her hotel room instead. Her hand drops and she turns toward him. "I would have thought someone who knows witches as _well _as you -"

He is not there.

Bonnie spins her head in the opposite direction expecting him to be standing there. Instead she finds nothing but emptiness. There is a split second glance at the symbol as if it is somehow to blame. Then she hears footsteps.

"Very _funny_," she spits.

Only she is not talking to Kol. Her eyes widen as she takes in the man standing there. He, too, has a look of surprise on his face. They eye one another for a moment too long.

Then she finally finds her voice.

"Elijah…"


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Look at that! Another chapter! Longer than the last one too! Hopefully you'll enjoy it. Characters from **_**The Originals**_** are going to start seeping onto the canvas. If you do not watch the show, I have set up a cast page on The Bennett Diaries on Tumblr that will at least give you a face to attach to the name. Thanks again to everyone who leaves me a little feedback. You truly are the biggest part of why I keep going.**

**A Thousand Souls Crossed Over**

_Part Four _

She doesn't say anything at first - because she would rather not say anything at all.

It takes seeing Elijah Mikaelson in person to _truly_ realize he is one of the last people on earth she wants to cross paths with. The anger comes quick, starting in her stomach and rushing throughout her body until she shakes from it. Her eyes narrow and she presses her lips together so tightly it hurts.

How she wishes she could do damage to him.

For his part, he stands quiet with his hands in the pockets of his suit jacket. His eyes travel from her to wall behind her. Then back to her. "Miss Bennett -"

"_Don't_."

She doesn't have time to consider how unlike herself she sounds at the moment. There is something hateful in her voice, something she hasn't heard in a long time. Her feet are firmly planted to the ground and she keeps her eyes on him as he takes a step closer. Surely he gets it. Surely he understands why she is reacting the way she is.

If he does, he will not acknowledge it. "One has to wonder what is you are doing here. _Right_ here in this particular part of New Orleans."

Yes, one does. Because the reason she is there has currently blinked his way out sight. Bonnie wonders for just a moment if the symbol burning itself into the side of the building behind her has anything to do with it. A silly thought - she knows _exactly_ what is and what is used for. It has no effect on someone already dead. She snaps out of her thoughts - she can't concentrate on Kol right now. Not when she has his very much alive brother standing in front of her.

No doubt putting the pieces together and coming up with just the wrong conclusion.

_Wonderful_.

She feels like she has wandered into the beginnings of more trouble than she wants. Leaving evidence of that kind of magic out in the open for anyone to see (_for beings like Elijah to see_) means one of two things: someone is carelessly stupid or they want others to know. The latter scares her. "If you think that I had anything to do with this, then you are wrong." She hates that she has to defend herself to him. So much so that she can't keep herself quiet. "Then again, that is your style isn't it - forming opinions based on little evidence and going overboard to act on them?"

He shifts his weight, eyes narrowing. She considers that for all the dirty work he coerces others to do that he is still a dangerous man. She should step lightly - she just can't convince herself wholly of that fact. "In instances where those I love are in danger, I will use any measure necessary."

It hurts to hear it (not _it_ - what happened to her mother), discussed in such a casual manner. There is a bitter taste in her mouth and she takes a deep breath.

"_Clearly_."

Hatred and fury are replaced by a cold flat tone. She is at an impasse as to what else to say. So many things dance around her head but none quite make it to her tongue just yet. What is the point? He seems unshakeable in his opinion on the matter. Nothing good will come of her railing against him if he is just going to stand there. She wants a reaction out of him - no, she _needs_ a reaction, whether it be an apology or more likely a defense of his actions.

In the end, she says nothing. Not because she is a coward but because someone else wanders into the fray.

Well - more aptly: is drug into it.

Bonnie's attention is pulled to the sight of a woman being _escorted _by her arm. She is older in appearance than Bonnie. There is dark hair contained by a colorful scarf and she is a bit wide eyed at the moment. Bonnie can see the beginnings of a tattoo peeking out from underneath the sleeve of her shirt. The man she is with (not voluntarily of course) has a cap pulled down so she can't see his eyes. But she knows the score - it doesn't take much to figure out.

_Witch._

Vampire.

Some things never change.

Elijah turns to regard the new arrivals as they come to a stop. The vampire speaks. "Marcel told me you wanted to see her."

"I asked for her assistance, Thierry, not that she be dragged her against her will," Elijah corrects.

Bonnie rolls her eyes at his show of manners (because it is just that - a show). Still, the vampire, _Thierry_, lets go of his grip on the woman's arm. She wastes no time in stepping away from the pair of them, bringing her closer to Bonnie. For a moment she regards Bonnie with suspicious eyes, no doubt wary of anyone that would be in the presence of Elijah Mikaelson willingly. Bonnie wants to assure her that she is no friend of his. In fact she has more in common with the stranger than the vampire.

"You may go, Thierry." Elijah punctuates the statement with a wave of his hand. The younger vampire bristles but as expected leaves Elijah with the pair of them. Both are watching him now - Bonnie with a look of disdain, the other with a look of confusion. "In truth, Miss Deveraux, had I known who I would find here I would not have asked you to come." The witch turns to look at Bonnie once again. There is no more suspicion. Instead there is frank curiosity. "Sophie Deveraux, this is Bonnie Bennett."

Sophie's lips part and her eyebrows move toward the top of her head. "_Bennett_."

Apparently Sophie has heard of her.

It is such a strange situation really - one minute she is mentally ripping him limb from limb the next she is standing in front of an interloper who has nothing to do with it (therefore is undeserving of Bonnie's anger). When she speaks, her confusion at the sudden shifts of events comes out as reserved greeting. "Hello…" _Deveraux_. Bonnie wishes she had the same luxury of knowing that Sophie appears to possess. But then again, she had pretty much felt her own way around in the world of witchcraft; she can be forgiven if she had been too busy finding solutions to the ever growing list of problems to glance at the registry (for a split second she finds herself wondering if there truly is one).

Sophie's eyes travel past Bonnie and for the first time she sees it. "Oh hell…" She is swift in her movements coming to press her hand to the brick much the same way Bonnie had. She turns to Elijah. "You don't think I did this do you?"

"The thought had crossed my mind, yes," he retorts and there is another step closer. It is almost instinctual for Bonnie to step between him and Sophie. Elijah notices the subtle movement and the current position of her chin (up of course, with eyes never leaving him). "Your actions the past few weeks have been rather suspect."

"But _this_?" Sophie states. She comes to stand shoulder to shoulder with Bonnie. A quick glance tells in her direction tells Bonnie that Sophie's mind is going a thousand miles per second. "Do you even know what this is?"

He pauses (and perhaps Bonnie a bit smug to see him speechless).

"Sacrificial magic." It is Bonnie who answers. "The symbol is used to draw power from another being to be channeled by the witch who created it." It doesn't surprise her that he looks to Sophie for confirmation. She just bobs her head in agreement.

"And you both know this _how_?"

There is still enough fight in her to have her catching her bottom lip between her teeth to keep from laughing. Was this an interrogation? Line up the _usual suspects_. Out of the corner of her eye she can see Sophie giving her a look. Since Bonnie is preoccupied, Sophie speaks first. "I may not be in favor with the rest of the witches, but I know my stuff." There is bite in the Sophie's tone, however slight, and Bonnie feels strangely proud (apparently she is not the only one Elijah has that effect on).

Speaking of - he is looking expectantly to her now.

She toys with how to answer. Then her tongue darts out to wet her lips. "I used it to stop Klaus' heart. You remember right? I stopped his heart and then we packed him up in a storage locker." She is well aware that she is dancing all around the line between too far and just enough but she _can't help herself_. Sophie is looking at Bonnie again but this time there is a slight curve at the corner of her mouth - clearly she amused by the thought (seems the Mikaelson's as a whole know how to make 'friends' with the local witch). "But if you think that I did this - you're wrong."

"Perhaps," he says and his tone is very noncommittal. He turns his body toward Sophie. "You may go - but I will need your assistance in this matter down the road."

"Fine," Sophie says with a bob of her head. She is clearly relieved to be set loose. "I got a pot of gumbo in the works at _Rousseau's_ -" She is already walking away but she gives Bonnie a pointed look before her eyes shift back to Elijah. " - if it's ruined, I'll send you the bill."

And then Sophie's gone, leaving the pair of them to face off again.

Both have gone quiet however.

Then he speaks. "It would be for the best if you come with me."

Because she can't put up a fight, she does.

**X**

They don't talk.

Elijah's gaze is directed forward while hers is everywhere but - she is looking for a familiar brown jacket, a stupidly cocky smile, _anything _that proves Kol has not hung her out to dry. She considers the possibility for a moment - that he has brought her here to deliver her into the hands of his family.

"Who else from Mystic Falls has come here?" Elijah asks as they turn the corner. Despite the late hour, the streets are still filled with tourists and he places a hand at the small of her back to _politely_ escort her through.

She sidesteps his touch immediately. "No one."

He finally glances in her direction. "Then who are you looking for?"

_Your brother_.

The words almost spill from her mouth but at the last moment she stops herself. Without Kol practically sitting on her shoulder as proof, she would rather not speak of his dead brother as they wander through half drunken crowds.

"No one in particular," she lies and senses he knows that. He doesn't call her on it so she doesn't care.

They wind up standing in front of a rather expansive building. She can tell by the facade that it has been there for centuries but it has been well looked after. Near the entrance she spots a stylized M.

_Mikaelson_.

"Welcome to the Abattoir."

Bonnie's eyes narrow on reflex. "French for slaughterhouse - how _cozy_."

"Indeed. My family has owned this building quite some time now. In the beginning it was exactly as you say, with animals being kept in the courtyard before they were slaughtered for food. We transformed it into something more..._liveable_," he explains. His hand is on the small of her back again, fingers pressed against the fabric of her shirt in such a way she can feel the chill of them. "There are no traces of what this place used to be."

_Only because the blood is no doubt cleaned away on a daily basis_, she reflects as they walk through the archway and into the courtyard. She has to admit (though not aloud) that it paints a pretty picture. Stone, worn smooth over time, makes up the floor and there are tables here and there. The rich smell of heliotrope comes from the baskets that hang from the balcony. The entire courtyard is enclosed by the remainder of their home and she can see a light burning in a few of the windows.

The _others_.

She tenses. A reflex the does not go unnoticed. "I only wish to speak of what has gone on," he reassures her. As if she believes him - and in truth, he is not her biggest concern at the moment.

Bonnie turns so that she is facing him. "I may know of sacrificial magic. I may have dabbled in it but that wasn't me. I just got here…"

"_Why _are you here?" He repeats and this time there is no accusatory tone in his voice. Just frank curiosity.

She thinks it best to come clean. Though she can offer nothing more than the story at the moment. "It's...complicated. But, all true -"

"What is _she_ doing here?" The voice is loud growl that fills the courtyard. Both Bonnie and Elijah jerk their head upward to see Klaus standing at the balcony, his hands twisted around the railing as he looms over. The look on his face is nothing short of murderous.

Before she can even react, he is on her. She feels his fingers curls around her throat and her back meets the stone wall. The sudden contact rattles her entire body and knocks the air out of her lungs. She can't take any in given the tight grip Klaus currently has on her throat. Her hands come up automatically to claw at his arm. Behind him she can see Elijah's dismayed reaction to the sudden outburst of violence.

"Have you come to try and ruin me, witch?" Klaus seethes, his face close enough that it is all she sees. "Do you truly think you can?"

"Ni_klaus_!" Elijah's voice commands authority but she thinks that Klaus is too far gone to hear it as she does. She wonders if he is thinking of the last time they had come face to face. He had been shaking with fury then and she sees the same now. Her movements are more desperate now. She needs to breathe. Kol's words are loud in her ears.

_You are the anchor. Immortal. He can't kill you._

_No, but he can hurt me._

She tries to choke his name out. It comes out garbled and indiscernible. She wonders if she is calling for Kol in hopes that Klaus will snap out of his current rage filled state or if it is because she wants him there to help her.

Elijah's hands are on Klaus now, attempting to pull him off of Bonnie. "This is not the way, brother," he states. "She was going to explain -"

"She _will _explain!"

"How can she when you are choking the life from her?" Elijah counters. Klaus' body goes rigid and he finally tears his eyes from her to glance toward his brother.

Suddenly, she can breathe again.

Bonnie slumps against the wall, blinking away the dark spots that have started to crowd her vision. Elijah reaches out to tip her chin up with a finger (_checking for damage?_) but she smacks his hand away. Her chest rises and falls rapidly as if making up for lost time. She and Klaus eye one another. There is no doubt that it is a good thing Elijah is between them.

"Go on - _explain_," he spits. He is pacing a tight circle as Bonnie brings a hand to soothe tender skin. He stops and points his index finger straight at her. "Do not think of attempting some spell or -"

"I am not a witch," she says and her voice sounds scratchy. Klaus stops and both brothers give her a quizzical look. "Not anymore. I am not a witch anymore."

"How?" Elijah of course. No doubt Klaus could care less the mechanics behind it.

"I died," she begins and realizes that this is the first time she will have to go through all the details of her death and how she has come to straddle the line between the living and the not so living. "In fact I stayed that way all summer -" She does not get much further than that before there is a new commotion that draws all their attention to the door. A small group, obviously lead by the man in the front (the look of determination gives him away), move swiftly into the courtyard. His eyes are on Klaus.

"You need to see this," he states with no preamble.

"I am a bit busy, Marcel," Klaus retorts immediately and now Bonnie pays extra attention. _Marcel_ -wasn't that the name thrown out when Sophie had wandered into the fray? She eyes him. Another vampire of course. His eyes are currently on Klaus but then slip over to her. She meets his gaze and notes the flash of curiosity before he is focused back to where he started.

"_Five_ of my nightwalkers, Klaus. Laid out." He emphasizes each word with a poke to Klaus' chest, something the volatile hybrid does not seem to mind (or if he does he does not act on it). "Right in the heart of the Quarter like they don't even care who sees it. This _isn't_ right."

"Staked?" Klaus questions.

"No. Heart intact. But they are as good as dead," Marcel answers.

Klaus turns his head back, his eyes meeting Bonnie's. Her protest of innocence is on the tip of her tongue, ready to fling out the moment he dare accuse her. His mouth sets in a thin line. "Let us look then, shall we?" he says and claps a hand on Elijah's shoulder. With his free hand he reaches forward and grabs the collar of one of Marcel's followers. He drags the man (young, with hair that springs wildly every which way) forward. "You see _her_?" He asks and a finger is jerked in Bonnie's direction. "Take her to the study. She does _not _leave. Understood?" There is something about the man's passive nod that tells Bonnie he is only agreeing to guard duty because he is afraid of the consequences if he does not. With that settled, Klaus' attention is back on Bonnie. "I am afraid our reunion will have to be delayed, love. We will pick up exactly where we left off when I return."

The group (and all their testosterone) waste no time in moving toward the exit with Klaus at the head of the pack and Elijah deep in conversation with Marcel. She is left standing opposite the vampire. He has his hands stuck in his pockets and he looks sullen. "You could go - I'll be _just _fine," she tells him. There is a heavy amount of sarcasm in her voice because she knows she is wasting her breath.

There is a pause.

"Study's this way."

**X**

Bonnie doesn't sit.

Instead, she stands in the middle of the room (dark wood, musty books, furniture that is centuries older than her no doubt) and tries to muddle her way through her current situation. Her companion at the moment proves to be the strong silent type - or rather the type to grunt a response to any questions asked. He has taken to standing just outside the door and from time to time he sticks his head in (almost as if on a schedule, a fact she proves when she lifts her hand and wiggles her finger in a wave on cue; he is not amused). She huffs and wraps her arms around herself.

_What the hell is going on_?

"Kol, I swear…" she whispers and then cranes her neck to see if she'll be left to mutter on her own. When it becomes apparent that she will be, she sighs. "...if you don't show your face soon I am going back on our deal. I don't_ care_ if you spend eternity singing horribly in the corner as punishment."

(only she does - she is just what? trying to provoke air?)

Bonnie finally shuffles away from the center of the room, moving until she is at the window. She has a view of the street from where she stands and she presses a hand to the glass. Then her head dips forward and her eyes close. It has to be well after midnight now. She is not tired, but she is weary.

"You're not thinking about to going out that window are you?"

Bonnie freezes before turning to face the source. A stranger. He is standing at the opposite end of the room. She hadn't even heard him come in. Then it hits her - _because he didn't_. What was it that Marcel said? _Five nightwalkers. _The rest will come soon, flocking to her like the northern star (or however Kol had put it).

She braces herself.

He moves wordlessly through the room and does not hesitate to reach out. His fingers brush her shoulder so innocently but the result is devastating. A piercing pain starts in her midsection and blooms out until it consumes her. She stumbles a little, her hand coming out to brace herself as her mouth opens. No sound comes out; instead she draws in a shaky breath. It feels as if a piece of her has been ripped open so he can slip through. She breathes deeply and tips her head up.

The next is already there.

"Wait -" she pleads, needing one more moment to contain herself before it starts again.

It is almost as if he can't. His hand lands on her arm and she can't stop from crying out. It echoes through the room as her fingers tighten their grip on the back of the chair. Her watchman rushes into the room. "What are you doing?"

She can't even answer. The pain has robbed her of coherent thought. She squeezes her eyes shut, knowing instinctively that there is another waiting to pass through. She screams this time, her knees buckling until she slips to the floor. Before she can even move, the next comes, fast and furious. She hasn't stopped screaming.

A new voice, female and familiar somehow, seeps through the agony. "What did you do to her?" Bonnie is vaguely aware of her guard's protests that he has found her this way. She opens her eyes to find her vision blurry but she can make out a brunette. Bonnie lifts her head as the other woman comes closer and kneels next to her. She blinks and realizes that she knows that face. Hayley - the werewolf who had left nothing but burned bridges in Mystic Falls. Confused (and still feeling the remnants of pain) she tries to ask why Hayley of all people is looming over her.

She screams instead.

(there were _five _dead vampires after all)

As the last one passes, she hears Hayley tell Marcel's vampire to help her get Bonnie to the sofa. She tries to push against them but her head spins and it is nothing more than a futile swipe at air. His arms come around her and she is hoisted limp off the floor.

She just might pass out.

Maybe that would be for the best.

As her eyes flutter shut, she hears her name being spoken low and near her ear.

_Kol_.

**X**

Her mouth is dry.

Bonnie blinks awake and is greeted by the sight of a rather ornate ceiling. She shifts a little. Then her eyes go wide. He had been there - just before she slipped under. She sits up too quickly and winces as a result.

"You bounce back rather quickly." And there he is, _Kol_, perched on the edge of the coffee table. Has he been like that the whole time she has been out?

It is strange to think she is relieved to see him. The feeling lasts all of a fraction of a second before her features tighten. "You left."

"Is that your way of telling me that you missed me, little witch?" He asks and smiles (though it does not quite reach his eyes).

"You left me and then your brother nearly _choked me out_," Bonnie says through clenched teeth.

Kol clicks his tongue. "No manners, that one."

Bonnie gives him a pointed look to remind him that Klaus is not the only Mikaelson that has wrapped his hands around her neck. At least Kol has the sense to look a tad bit sheepish. "Where the hell did you go?"

He leans forward, his hands clasped between his knees. "I had to see someone."

"You had to pay a house call on the Other Side?" Bonnie asks. Now that the pain is a memory (soon to be distant hopefully) she feels anger brewing. "Right at that moment? With Elijah lurking _right_ around the corner?"

"You are still alive."

She snaps. It has been building for the longest time and this night (her first in New Orleans; nearly her last) has proven too much. "Enough with avoidance, Kol. Enough with the smart ass remarks. E_nough!_ You start talking. Now. Tell me why I am here. Tell me where you went. Or I walk. You can chase me to the ends of the earth. I don't care."

"You do," he corrects. "You can't stand the thought of me looking over your shoulder until this world implodes. But - I will tell you, Bonnie. I suspect you are beginning to realize that this goes beyond speaking with my siblings."

She resists the urge to be smart and spout off the obvious: _You think._

"Though I am sure you will question the validity of this, I do not know all the details yet. It's muddled over here, you get bits and pieces, whispers, but I know one thing is for certain, my family…" His mouth becomes a thin line. "...they are in danger."

That particular admission is not what she is expecting (in truth, she does not know what she had expected). She tries to wrap her mind around the idea that the mighty family Mikaelson is in enough trouble that Kol would want to reach out from the Other Side. In the end, she laughs. It is probably a result of her overworked mind but the sound spills out. Kol's eyes narrow. "You - _you_ want me to help them?!"

Kol does not answer. Instead he falls silent and she hears it. Footsteps - more than one set, accompanied by loud conversation.

"She was screaming, Klaus. Like someone jammed a hot poker into her side." Female. Hayley.

"She is none of your concern." _Klaus._

Apparently Hayley will not be deterred. "Why is she even here?"

They both appear in the doorway to the study, Elijah only a second behind them. Bonnie turns her body so that her feet are on the floor and glances at Kol. He hasn't turned to look at them yet.

"Leave us," Klaus says and it is obvious he is speaking to Hayley. There is a roll of her eyes but Hayley listens. Now Bonnie is surrounded by Mikaelsons. Elijah enters the room first while, his eyes roaming over the space before landing on her. Klaus stands back, leaning in the door frame. "They tell me you experienced a bit of _difficulty_ while we were out." It is said with such flourish that Bonnie now wants to roll her eyes.

Kol glances up, his eyes falling on his brother for the first time.

Bonnie swears he shakes just a little.

"Bonnie…" When Elijah speaks he does not sound as controlled as he usually does. It is barely a whisper. He waits until she gives him her full attention. "Why did you say his name? I heard you as we came up the stairs. Why did you say _Kol's _name?"

Klaus' face loses all hint of amusement. He pushes himself off the door frame and moves into the room to stand next to Elijah. Bonnie's eyes shift to Kol. He dips his head a little and she takes a deep breath.

_Here we go._

"Because he's here. Kol's right here."


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: I won't even begin to explain why it's been so long since the last update. I will just apologize and hope that you enjoy this chapter! It didn't turn out quite how I expected. I discovered it is hard to orchestrate the reunion of brothers when one of them is a ghost! Ha! Anyway, expect things to start to ramp up now that the cat is out of the bag. If you've enjoyed it, I'd love to hear a few words. Thanks again for all your support. I appreciate it so much, you have no idea! **

**A Thousand Souls Crossed Over**

_Part Five_

For a moment there is silence.

The room feels still before the tension creeps up and threatens to overwhelm them all. Neither brother has moved since her admission and she hasn't taken her eyes off Kol. He still maintains a steady gaze, boring a hole in the wall over her shoulder.

Then things shift.

Rapidly.

In the back of her mind, she expects Klaus will be on her again. She tenses her body for the inevitable contact and hopes that he can be talked down (twice in one night - surely that will take a miracle). She hears a heavy step but when she looks up it is not Klaus that stares her down.

It is Elijah.

Though she admits their interactions have been limited, she has never seen him like this before. Teetering on the edge of control (eyes wild, body shaking ever so slightly beneath the designer suit). In truth, she is more frightened by the way he is looking at her than anything Klaus can do to her. She knows that if Elijah lets go then there will be no reining him in.

"_Why_ would you say this?" He asks and his voice sounds foreign, strained. Klaus has come to stand beside his brother, watching Elijah intently as if he too is surprised at the vitriol in his voice.

Bonnie swallows, her eyes once again shifting to Kol. She wishes she could read him but in truth she only knows the side of him that has a biting retort on the tip of his tongue. Right now she sees none of that in him. She struggles to speak, unsure of what to say. "I know it seems crazy," she begins and it sounds like such a cliché, hardly befitting the situation they find themselves in. "I can explain - "

"My brother did not deserve to die to further your agenda," Elijah interrupts and he sounds one step closer to losing what control he has left. "And he certainly does not deserve to be used in some sort of gamble against my family."

"That's not what I am doing -"

"_**Stop**_!"

Bonnie's eyes widened as his voice echoes through the room. She had not been prepared for this. All this while she has been worried as to what Klaus would do to her when she tells him that the ghost of his baby brother is trailing her every step. She never has considered Elijah and she supposes that is a mistake on her part. After all, in the grand scheme of things, he is the one to whom family means the most. His every action is dictated by that - whereas to Klaus, family seems like a means to an end.

Elijah is the one she should have been afraid of this whole time.

Instinctively, she curls into herself a little, inching across the sofa to put some distance between she and Elijah. He has proven to her in the most painful of ways just how far he will go for his family (and she suspects that act is just the tip of the iceberg). Her eyes once again move to Kol, who finally seems to have snapped out of whatever trance he has been in. His eyes are on his older brother and he too seems taken aback at the way Elijah holds himself. "Bonnie," he begins quietly. "Tell him _Ivarr_."

Bonnie's brows push together but she wastes no time letting the word slip from her mouth. She watches as Elijah goes completely rigid, almost as if someone has slapped him across the face. She wonders if she has been misled but then it is as if someone has taken the fight out of him. Elijah sinks down so he is sitting at the edge of the sofa. His mouth is slightly agape. Klaus watches his brother with a look of confusion at the sudden change of mood (no doubt he had been looking forward to watching big brother tear Bonnie apart). "I had almost forgotten…" Elijah says but it is obvious that he is speaking to no one in particular.

"I never did," Kol retorts immediately. "What a foolish little boy I was. It was pure luck that I was not bitten - no wild animal wants to be placed in captivity."

Her confusion still has not abated but she is not pushing it. At the moment, she feels less likely that she will be murdered. However, Klaus has no such worry. He scowls. "And what does this prove, brother?"

"Kol was no older than seven - I do not remember the exact age. But he was small. Then again, as a child he always was." Elijah is caught in a memory, that much is obvious. Bonnie glances to Kol, feeling an uncomfortable sense of gratitude towards the man who had dragged her there in the first place. He too is ensnared by the same memory. "He was always running off to explore. Mother worried but Father thought it character building…" At the very hint of Mikael, Klaus visibly stiffens. Bonnie wants to sink through the sofa cushions. This is a Mikaelson family moment and she is playing the uncomfortable part of the witness. "One day he wandered too far for Mother's liking so I was sent to find him. He was deep in the woods. I found him cradling a fox pup. Obviously abandoned and obviously suffering because of it. The foolish boy wanted to bring it home with him. He had already named it."

"Ivarr," Kol interjects but of course only Bonnie can hear him.

It is hard for Bonnie to reason the Kol that she knows with the one that Elijah is describing. A boy whose heart had gone out to a creature in need - the same man who had gleefully spoke of killing her.

Surely it is a testament to how time can twist someone inside out.

"It took a great deal of convincing for him to leave it there. It probably did not survive much longer but there was no way that Mother or Father would have allowed it in our home. I wanted to spare him that the rejection," Elijah finished.

"So you told me that it would live to be mighty as the warrior I had named it for," Kol stated.

Bonnie mentally kicks herself for thinking that the brothers deserve to have this moment face to face. She reminds herself of all the harm Kol and Elijah have brought to those who have crossed their paths. She will not feel sorry for them. So, she stands and notes that Klaus' eyes are on her. He does not have the murderous look Elijah had possessed. Instead he looks at her as if he is breaking her down into pieces to try and discover her secrets. Though she is not frightened, it is unnerving enough to have her tracing the pattern in the rug before tipping her head back. "I didn't lie, or use him…"

Elijah does not look at her. "Where is he?"

"Almost right in front of you," Bonnie tells him and Elijah's reaction is immediate. Perhaps he thinks if he squints right the way he will see Kol.

Klaus laughs.

The sound is jarring and everyone in the room (including the one that remains almost invisible) turns their heads toward him. Klaus continues to laugh as if it spills out of him uncontrollably. His chin is tipped down so Bonnie is not witness to the amusement in his eyes (but she is sure it is there, she can hear it in voice). "Surely, Elijah, you do not believe this."

When Elijah speaks Bonnie realizes he had regained his composure (or that his anger has now shifted to his hybrid brother instead). He eyes Bonnie and she is relieved to realize she does not feel the same measure of fear she had just moments ago. "Kol and I never spoke of Ivarr to anyone. How do you suppose she came by the information over a thousand years later, Niklaus?"

It feels strange to have Elijah defend her (she _refuses_ to be grateful for it).

"Perhaps she roamed through your mind, Elijah. Plucked just the thought she needed to spare her life," Klaus counters. Bonnie wishes she could that - is there a spell? If so how did she miss it during her days as a witch? It would have saved her so much hassle. Even now, she could have discerned just what Kol is worried about and wrote the Mikaelson brothers a nice long postcard telling them to watch their backs.

_Not a witch, Klaus - or have you forgotten the conversation we had just before you wrapped your fingers around my throat_, Bonnie thinks. But does not speak. No sense trying to reason with a megalomaniac.

"Clearly she wishes to ruin us. Why else would she use Kol's name as leverage? His death is still fresh in both our minds. There are wounds that have not healed. A perfect opportunity for her to appear and grind salt into them," Klaus continued. He seems desperate for Elijah to see his point of view.

Bonnie wonders if it goes beyond Klaus' doubts of her story.

"My brother - ever the paranoid madman," Kol mutters and Bonnie presses her lips together to keep from laughing. It is by far the wrong moment. "I would divulge some secret that both he and I share, but there are none. Only many lifetimes of disappointment. And silver daggers."

She is _not_ repeating that.

"Look, I can explain _everything_ if you will just give me a chance," Bonnie says. If Klaus refuses to be swayed by emotion than perhaps logic will appeal to him. "Perhaps...without the interruption or threat of violence." She stresses the last part of course.

"Shall I send for refreshments?" Klaus asks with enough mockery that she feels the urge to drive the heel of her shoe into his foot. "As we become reacquainted."

Bonnie ignores him in favor of the brother she does not have to convince. She finds Elijah lost in thought - or so it seems. It takes her a moment to realize he is staring intently right at Kol, though he sees nothing but empty space of course. Kol is watching him in return. She wonders if Elijah can feel him. Sense him somehow.

_Maybe_.

"If you want to nibble on cookies and sip tea while I talk go right ahead, Klaus," Bonnie says and he raises an eyebrow at her retort (she can't help it - he brings it out of her). "Just as long as you listen."

**X**

Turns out he will - just not in the library.

He insists they move elsewhere. Bonnie considers the fact that he is open to hearing her side of things a victory and does not argue. She immediately follows him. It takes her a moment or two to realize that Elijah has not budged from his place on the sofa. Neither has Kol. She feels almost guilty (silly her) as she clears her throat. Kol finally lifts his head and then nods. With a swift movement, he comes to a stop beside her. Elijah brings up the rear.

Wherever Klaus has decides on for their _little talk_ involves walking along the interior balcony. In the courtyard below a few sets of curious eyes watch their progress. Bonnie can't help glance down and note her inept guard, Thierry and _Hayley_. Her presence confuses Bonnie but at the moment she doesn't have time to consider the possibilities. Instead she finds the door being held for her so she can enter what appears to be a dining area. Or so she thinks - there is a large mahogany table surrounded by chairs in the middle of the room. It looks pristine (somehow she does not think they have had a chance to throw a dinner party yet). The rest of the room is decorated in the typical Mikaelson fair (overdone, dark and wholly uninviting).

Klaus is still wrapped up in sardonically playing the perfect host. He pulls a chair and smiles in her direction.

She takes the one opposite it.

Undeterred, Klaus seats himself and both wait for Elijah to do the same. Kol remains standing, and she finds herself watching him closely for a moment. Klaus's fingers tap loud enough on the tabletop to draw her attention back to where it should be. _And where to begin_? She supposes the beginning if the best place. "I died the night the veil between this world and the Other Side was supposed to go back up. I got..._greedy_ with magic and I paid the price." Her death is entirely her fault, she understands that - a marked change from how she once thought she would die. "I was faced with a choice, leave the veil down so I could continue some sort of semblance of life along with all the other ghosts…" _What are we waiting for? Let's do it together _ - Kol's words, moments before she had truly knew what decision she would make. How many things would be different if she had just taken his hand? "- or the veil could go back up and I could wander the Other Side." Even now the feeling of oppression, of being utterly alone comes rushing back. She forces herself to refocus to avoid being swallowed whole by it. "I think it is fairly obvious what choice I made."

"How is that I did not hear of the death of the mighty Bonnie Bennett?" Klaus asks. It unnerves her that she realizes he is not being entirely sarcastic.

"I am good at lying - or convincing others to do so for me," she explains. "As far as most people were concerned I was spending the summer with my mother. Reconnecting after…" She trails off as her eyes fall on Elijah. He does not flinch and any misguided sympathy for him shatters (as it should). "Only Jeremy knew."

"A lie such as that could not be sustained," Klaus concludes.

Bonnie shakes her head. "They needed me and I couldn't be there. So Jeremy told them." She remembers how she had begged him not to tell Damon - now she knows it was what needed to happen. "Then the campaign to bring me back began…" She decides she doesn't need to give them all the details. The less they know about Silas' involvement as well as the existence of another _familiar face_ the better (she doesn't want to use the word doppelganger). "The Other Side...it didn't come into being on it's on. It was created by and rooted in magic. Someone needs to have a foot in both sides and be door for those who have passed to cross through. They call it the anchor…"

"And this is what you are now?" Elijah says. His tone is terse and he seems all business once again. She almost wishes they have left him in the library staring into nothingness.

"Yes, I am the anchor. The previous one...she wished for death, true death. So I traded places with her. I am alive." She takes a deep breath and then makes a correction. "Kind of. Any supernatural being that dies goes through me - and I can see them all on the Other Side if they come close enough."

"Kol has done this?" Klaus asks.

"For a while now," Bonnie answers and she glances at the vampire in question. He has taken to leaning against the doorframe almost as if he is lording over the proceedings. "It was him that wanted me here. Not _me_. When you and your family left Mystic Falls I was elated._ No offense_."

"None taken," Klaus retorts with just the right amount of amusement laced in his voice. "Though it does hurt me to realize that you never wished to see me again."

"Niklaus," Elijah chides. "That is hardly the point."

Klaus ignores his brother's scolding (she has a feeling he does this often). "What if I require proof?"

"_Ivarr_," Bonnie reminds with a pointed look. Elijah's features slacken.

"Yes - that appeals to the more emotional of the two of us," Klaus tells her. "I, on the other hand, run on logic and reason." Bonnie blinks away a look of disbelief. This feels backwards. "Every supernatural being passes through upon death? So, the next traitorous vampire or wayward witch who crosses me will wind up on your doorstep?"

Bonnie bites her tongue (for there is a retort on its tip) and nods. She has a feeling that Klaus is working up to something and she refuses to play along until she absolutely has to. "Those vampires that died, they came here. It's why your babysitter found me crumpled on the floor."

"It brings you pain?" Klaus asks and she doesn't like the way he speaks.

He sounds pleased.

"I feel their death," she says and does not elaborate for fear that Klaus will skewer the next supernatural creature he sees just to test her words (it is almost a guarantee). "But it passes quickly." She feels the need to add that even though something inside of her still aches.

"Leave it to my brother to focus on the most trivial of fact," Kol retorts, speaking for the first time since they have moved their conversation. She turns her head toward him to find that she still can't read his face.

Funny - she thought after weeks of having him lurk in her shadow she would be able to.

But then again he is face to face with his family again and there are so many layers that she can't even begin to comprehend. She turns her head to find both brothers looking in the same direction, seeing only empty space where she sees Kol.

"He wanted me here because he believes you..._your family_ is danger. He wanted to warn you and since he can't he coerced me into coming instead," Bonnie explains. Elijah is the first to look back at her. Klaus' gaze lingers on the door frame and then he too slowly turns his head.

"We are in danger," Klaus repeats. He appears to think over what he has just said and then a smile plays on his lips. "We have been in danger for centuries. Yet we continue to soldier on."

"It's more than that," Kol says quickly and pushes off the wall. "Much more."

He looks _scared_. Though she has struck out at reading his emotions since the moment she outed him to Klaus and Elijah, this one is easy - and it does little to comfort her. She closes her eyes, takes a calming breath and repeats what he has said.

Elijah sits up straight. Klaus' face turns sour (just as she has expected it to). "And just what grand evil is scheming now?" He asks.

Bonnie turns to Kol. Hasn't she been asking this question for weeks now? Before Klaus and Elijah had burst into the room, he had told her that the details were foggy to him. She doubts he can tell her much more now.

He looks resigned.

"He doesn't know," she says.

Klaus shakes his head. "Of course. Very convenient answer, Miss Bennett. Danger lurks, my dearly departed brother wants to warn us and yet he can't even answer the simplest of questions."

She feels something in the room snap - she can't quite pinpoint it until she glances in Kol's direction.

He lurches forward, his gaze on his brother as he speaks through clenched teeth. "You are such a bloody bastard you know that? You cannot even fathom the idea that you have created a whole host of enemies over the centuries. They are _all_ here, Klaus. On this side of life, chomping at the bit to destroy you. I wish it were that simple. Perhaps I wouldn't even be here if it were. But the company you keep…" He looks to Elijah. "..._my family_, they are in just as much danger simply for being around you. If you think for one moment that I will allow any kind of harm to come to them because of your pride you are mistaken_!_"

Only Bonnie hears this.

She gets it now as she watches Kol seethe - she is not going anywhere until he figures out just what the threat is.

He won't let her. He loves his siblings far too much.

Overwhelmed by the thought, she stupidly thinks she should have packed more clothes.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: First of all, thank you, thank you, **_**thank you**_** for the lovely feedback on Part Five. Seriously, some of the nicest things were said and it made me grin like a loon! Second of all, I found myself with an unforeseen day off of work and thought I would bang out part of the next chapter I have been working on. Turns out I wanted to finish it instead. I had to cut it off at the most logical spot otherwise it would have been a lot longer than the rest of my chapters. So, that means that part seven is already underway! Thanks again for all your support! **

**A Thousand Souls Crossed Over **

_Part Six _

She is given a room.

On the outside, Klaus presents the idea as a far more comfortable place to be than the hotel she has chosen. But she sees through it - she is a prisoner for the time being. Though Elijah has been convinced, Klaus clearly needs more time to wrap his head around the idea that his dead brother is communicating through her. Until then (actually she suspects, until all questions are answered), she has her own room in the east wing.

It doesn't surprise her that her things have been brought to the abattoir in the time it takes for the details to be worked out. When she opens the door her bag sits neatly on the top of the bed. She makes a face at the thought of some nameless faceless vampire pawing her belongs into her suitcase and then turns to see if her shadow is there.

He is.

"Let's get to it," she tells him, her hands coming together. She decides in this moment she will channel Caroline Forbes - her blonde friend has the best organizational skills of them all; walking that fine line between annoying and efficient. She needs those if they are going to get to the bottom of what's going on.

Kol raises an eyebrow. "Now you wish to help?"

Bonnie doesn't falter under his withering stare. "In case you haven't noticed, I have been _helping_ all along. Yes, it was more so because you twisted my arm but now...now, I want to find out just who is threatening your family. So they can suit up for battle and you can rest easy."

"And you can go home," Kol adds.

There's no sense in denying it. "And I can go home," she repeats. She knows if she pulls her phone out of her back pocket there will be at least a dozen unread text messages from her friends. From _Jeremy_. She'll save them for later - as a reward when they unearth a clue (or hopefully the whole damn scheme). She takes a deep breath and looks back to him. He has taken up sitting on the ornate dresser (somehow she knows that if he was truly there, Klaus would be glowering at the sight of it). "I think it's about time you just started from the beginning."

He bows his head a little, perhaps in concession that she is right (at least that is how she is taking it because it is long overdue). "I have told you what it's like over here - but then again, you don't need a full explanation of that. Most of the time I am alone. It doesn't seem to matter how far I wander...the chances of me running into another _lost soul_ have always been very slim."

She remembers those days all too keenly but says nothing. He lets the moment of shared silence (_understanding_) die away. "However, every now and then you come across someone else. Vampire, witch, werewolf - given my age sometimes I even recognize a face. A few months ago one such encounter occurred. Her name was Mary Alice Claire - a witch I once knew from my days here in New Orleans. She and I had been quite _close_…" Bonnie doesn't need him to explain that aspect any further; a message she gives him with a rather pointed look. The corners of his mouth curve upward. "She was the first to tell me that things were brewing. The New Orleans witches are different, Bonnie. They practiced a localized version of spirit magic - ancestral magic. The body of every witch that is buried on New Orleans' soil helps fuel their power. As such the fallen witches are aware of its use. Mary Alice, though buried a New Orleans witch, was never one to buy fully into the coven…"

"Seems obvious by her alliance with you," Bonnie quips because she cannot help herself. He ignores her in favor of continuing (and she actually feels guilty for being the immature one for once).

"She had warning for me. The witches of New Orleans are out to destroy my family. They are gathering their numbers both on this side of things and in the living world. On top of that, they have sought out enemies of my family to add to the cause. They mean to bring war," Kol explains and he has that look on his face - a hint of fear where he is usually cocky.

Even so, it is hard for her to feel sorry for him. For any of them. She presses her lips tightly together to avoid saying what is on the tip of her tongue. He has beaten back the momentary sign of weakness. He slides off the dresser and tilts his head. He knows she is holding back. She sighs and lets it come (before he badgers it out of her). "Your family has spent centuries bullying and killing their way into a position of power. Does it surprise you that someone wants to push back?" She can hardly believe it but she is about to sound like Klaus. "It wouldn't be the first time that someone has tried to kill your family." Hell, a year ago she was that someone - and she had come close too.

"I told you, this is different. The living and the dead conspiring? All those people Klaus has hurt, killed...all those people whose lives were destroyed. This isn't a merry band of misfits, no offense meant by that, darling - it is an army. There is no way that he comes out of this in one piece," Kol reasons. "And he will take my siblings down with him."

_Because they are so innocent in all this_, Bonnie thinks but does not dare say. It is clear to her Elijah and Rebekah mean so much more to him that Klaus - and it is not like Kol has clean hands either. In the grand scheme of things, pointing out that those siblings he is fiercely trying to protect are just as bad as the one he would cast off will not get her any closer to her goal: going _home_.

"You said it yourself, Kol - wandering the Other Side and actually running into someone else, that's rare. How would a whole host of witches manage to come together?" She asks. Maybe all of this is an overblown reaction. He has been given the first hint of something and his imagination has run wild.

"That is the beauty of ancestral magic. It allows those who are tied to it to remain together. There is a whole coven here, Bonnie Bennett, ready and willing to destroy Klaus and everything that comes with him," he tells her, as if he has been expecting this question all along.

She blinks and then sinks down onto the bed. Her hands come to rest on the top of her thighs and she closes her eyes as she thinks. She is by no means a strategist. She does not know how to draw up effective battle plans (she ignores the part of her that points out that she is the weapon instead, sent into the fray when needed). However, she needs something. A place to start at least. "Well, we should create a list."

Kol gives her a skeptical look. "A list?" His tone further gives away his feelings on the matter.

"A list," she repeats, not willing to abandon the idea just yet. "If the witches are whispering in the ears of his enemies in hopes of starting a riot, then we need to figure out who it is that they are talking to. You need to do a hell of lot more skulking around in hopes that you'll come across something useful." He does not look happy at being assigned that role but given his current state, it is the only one he can play. "They can't just be planning to entice his living enemies into war, Kol. There is no guarantee it will actually lead to anything. If you are so sure that something big is going to happen, you need to stop following me every second of the day and…" She knows what she is asking him. She is asking him to leave the only certain thing has (it feels strange to know that she is all that he really has) and wander in hopes that he _might _find just the tiniest of bread crumbs.

Having been there, she can't help.

She feels sorry for him.

It must show on her face because Kol sets his mouth in a grim line. "You are right," he says. He doesn't even try to argue back.

She is not used to him giving in so easily. She had been prepared to argue it through - prove to him that it is the best thing he can do at the moment. Instead he has made that realization on his own. They need more information plain and simple. Despite how much she thinks she would never wish to see his face again, she can't help but offer the silver lining. "They know now, Kol. They know that something is coming. Klaus might be a stubborn pigheaded bastard…" The words are out of her mouth before she can even stop them but thankfully the corners of Kol's mouth twitch in appreciation. "...but Elijah is too smart and too paranoid about the wellbeing of his family to ignore this." It feels wrong to pay Elijah any sort of compliment so she settles on calling it the truth. He will not sit idly by - and she knows that he is an expert at battle strategy. If they can figure out the target, he will cut them off at the knees.

There is a bitter taste in her mouth at the thought.

"As long as he does not throw himself on the pyre in the name of our _brother_," Kol counters - and therein lays the weakness of Elijah Mikaelson. No matter how intelligent he seems, he directs it all towards a monster. She doesn't understand. She can't begin to understand.

(_except_ _maybe she does_)

Bonnie takes a deep breath and stands again. "Let's get one thing straight - I am helping you because it is the only way I can shake myself free of this situation. Helping you means getting to the bottom of it. It doesn't mean babysitting 1000 year old vampires who are stuck on lost causes, Kol. Your brother's decisions are his own."

Perhaps she has cut Kol off at the knees for he does nothing more than mutter, "_Bloody idiot_."

Confident that he understands her position in all of this, Bonnie turns her thoughts back to their burgeoning plan of action. Sending him off into the relative nothingness that is the Other Side is no sure fire method. He might wander for days and never see another. Add to that, there is no guarantee that anyone he comes across will be connected to what is going on. They need more than that. They need something (_someone_) more solid.

A face pops in her head.

_Of course_.

Before she can even flesh out her thought properly, the door is thrown open with such force she wonders if the doorknob is buried in the wall (she is not taking the blame for that). Her head turns and her eyes widen. Standing there, looking very much like a wild creature is Rebekah Mikaelson. The blonde vampire eyes the entirety of the room before looking to Bonnie. "Where is _he_?" She asks, a slight tremor to her voce. "Is he here?"

Bonnie looks back to Kol to find him standing right behind her, his gaze locked on his sister. She gives herself a moment to mentally prepare to mediate through another reunion. Then she nods. "He's here."

The news causes Rebekah to visibly react. She places a hand on her stomach and takes a deep breath. "I didn't want to believe it first, but Elijah…" she trails off and shakes her head. "I've missed you, Kol."

She can feel him tense (he is too close - and she is not interested in acting as a barrier between them). She waits, expecting for some sort of retort from him (while debating how to impart it to his clearly emotional sister). Instead he maintains radio silence. "Kol?"

_Come on, you can't just leave me hanging_.

"What is it? What is going on?" Rebekah demands and Bonnie is clearly reminded that like her hybrid brother, she has little patience.

"Have you truly missed me?" Kol asks quietly. So quietly that Bonnie wonders if she has heard right. When she glances back to him, he nods. So she repeats it. Braces herself for the worst.

Instead, Rebekah deflates. Her head falls and she is the one that goes quiet now. Bonnie feels awkward beyond belief, trapped in the middle of yet another family issue that she has never wanted to be privy to in the first place. Finally, Rebekah acknowledges Kol's accusatory question. "I have, I _really _have. I know that in the end, when you _died_ that it does not seem like I mourned. May I didn't. At least - not the proper manner as I should have," she admits. "I just...if I did then you were gone. _Really gone_. All those times that Klaus stuffed you in a box I was able to convince myself that at the very least you were still alive. I could not do that here."

Just like that - just like that, Rebekah pours her heart out? Then again, it is not as if Rebekah is acknowledging her anyway. She is speaking directly to her brother and unfortunately Bonnie has to play the part of the go between. So hopefully, Kol would deem her comments worthy enough to respond in a manner that would not escalate the situation. She nearly held her breath, wondering what was going through his head.

"I have missed you too, sister dear."

Not quite the heartfelt response Rebekah probably is expecting but it has to be seen as a start, right? There is no sarcasm in his voice. He means what he says. Kol has not entirely cast her aside (but then again Bonnie already knows this, otherwise she wouldn't have been strong armed into coming in the first place).

"He says he misses you too," Bonnie finally states. Rebekah looks at her, _really looks at her_, for the first time since stepping into the room. Rebekah's eyes are wet, though the tears do not quite escape to her cheeks. She loves her brother, despite everything. Bonnie finds herself wondering what this family would have been like had Esther not made that fateful decision. But then, her life would be different too now wouldn't it? So much of who she is also has ties to the night a frightened mother went above and beyond to keep her children from harm.

Funny how things work out.

"Is that all?" Rebekah asks, her tone accusatory. "Is that all he says, witch? You are not holding back on me."

"And risk having him natter in my ear for the rest of the night?" Bonnie counters.

Kol laughs bitterly behind her. "If my sister is expecting some grand show of affection I am afraid this is not the moment. Some wounds are still fresh - including the one left by the realization that less than a week after I died, she was helping my killer on the deluded notion that she could be cured from her _condition_."

It is Bonnie's turn to tense because he is speaking Elena. Her friend who no doubt worries as to what Bonnie is going through at the moment (if she only knew). She glances over her shoulder at him and he makes no move to rephrase what he has said. Because she values her life (and Rebekah seems more like Klaus in the temper department), she does not repeat his caustic remark word for word. "Apparently, you two have issues to work through surrounding his death," she says meekly and hopes that it is enough.

Rebekah's eyes find the floor and she resembles a wounded child. When she nods, Bonnie realizes she is accepting her current position when it comes to Kol and therefore breathes easier. She will not be accosted by every member of the family yet it seems. "Does he look much the same as he did?" Rebekah asks and Kol scoffs.

"Yes," Bonnie assures her. She will do her best to appease Rebekah Mikaelson because it will bring this encounter to a speedier end.

"And does he sound the same?"

Bonnie furrows her brow, wondering what Rebekah means by that. She knows that as long as lives she will remember the sound of Kol Mikaelson's voice(_little witch_) but somehow she does not think that Rebekah is speaking of that. She considers her answer for a moment. "He still manages to get under your skin in only a few words." Rebekah smiles while behind her she knows that Kol has a smug look on his face. She does not even need to turn to see it - she can feel it radiating off him.

Rebekah seems calmer; she is no longer the quivering mass of nerves that nearly took the door off its hinges. "Nik thinks I am out of mind for believing. But I do. I know he is here."

"First smart thing you've said in ages, sister," Kol quips from behind her. Bonnie hopes that her features stay passive enough to avoid having to explain that to Rebekah.

"Seems like Klaus is the lone holdout," Bonnie says.

"My brother is paranoid to a fault. I do not know what it will take to convince him," Rebekah states. "But I am sure he will come around."

_When pigs fly_, Bonnie adds mentally. She takes a look around her gilded prison (_is that a faberge egg?) _and ponders how she is supposed to get to the bottom of any of this while stuck in this room. When her eyes fall on Rebekah again it is as if she glows, her hair a white halo surrounding her eager face.

_Bingo! _

Bonnie does her best to keep from grinning eagerly, lest she give herself away. She has to be careful in how she approaches this or she might find herself shown to a room with bars on the windows instead of overpriced eggs. "I know all of this is a lot to take in," Bonnie begins and she won't overdo it on the sympathy card - Rebekah won't appreciate it. "Just like you know I am only here because your brother will not leave me be otherwise…" Kol mutters a protest behind her but she ignores him in favor of pushing her agenda. "He has spent the past few weeks being nothing short of annoying…" Of course this is said in a way that shows camaraderie between the two women in the room; the man grumbles. "...and now I want to help to get to the bottom of this. Kol and I have an idea and it doesn't involve me being cooped up in this room."

"What the hell are you playing at, little witch?" Kol asks, his hand landing on her shoulder.

She turns, well aware that Rebekah's eyes are on her. "Remember what we talked about," she says as if her finding a way out of this room was part of their plan all along. Though her words do hold a double meaning because he is wasting his time standing there when he should be seeking out any sign that will help them. He has narrowed his eyes and she merely smiles.

"Clever, Bonnie," he says with a cluck of his tongue. "My dear sister is trying to get back in my good graces therefore she is more inclined to agree to anything that I may have dreamed up." He leans in so that his face is inches from hers. She wonders if she imagines his breath teasing across her skin or if she can really feel it. "Do be careful - you are worth so much more in one piece than scattered across the city."

She can't help but raise a brow at that, mostly because it is the strangest mix of a threat and wish for her wellbeing that she has ever heard. "You too," she tells him before she turns her back on him completely. Rebekah is standing there in such a manner that Bonnie wonders if she has been squinting in hopes of seeing her dearly departed brother. "Do you think you can help _us_? I'll probably fare better with an Original at my side."

**X**

Their first sign of resistance comes in the form of the same vampire who had watched over her while in the library. Bonnie has to give him some credit for stepping into their path and puffing up his chest as if Rebekah Mikaelson could bring him no harm.

"Oh please, Diego," Rebekah quips and there is a roll of her eyes to go along with it. Bonnie glances from one to the other (at least she has a name to attach to that grumpy face).

"She's not supposed to leave here," Diego counters but even Bonnie can hear the way his voice waffles.

"Fine," Rebekah says and it's over quick. She snaps the neck of Klaus' watchdog and he crumples to the floor. Bonnie blinks before the two of them head beyond the doors of the Mikaelson homestead.

They walk in silence for a moment. Then feeling compelled to shatter it, Bonnie turns her head towards Rebekah. "Thank you."

"Do not thank me - if you try to run or turn this around on me in any way, it will be your neck I snap. Understood?" Rebekah asks. Bonnie marvels at how she can still sound like a cheerful imitation of a teenager while spouting off statements such as that.

"Understood," Bonnie answers. For the first time in hours, she pulls her cellphone free from her jeans. As expected there is a barrage of text messages waiting for her. _Elena, Caroline - Jeremy._ She doesn't want to read them with Rebekah breathing down her neck so instead she replaces the phone. "Do you know how to get to Rousseau's?"

Rebekah skitters to a stop. "Bloody hell, I should have known. Is this what I have sprung you for? So you can gather around the cauldron with the witch that hates Nik?"

Bonnie refrains from groaning in the annoyance but she does point out the obvious. "In Sophie Deveraux's defense, most people do not think kindly when it comes to your brother, myself included." So Sophie is not the witch the family has stuffed in their back pocket - but she is a witch who has left a mark on them already. _Interesting._ "Look, Rebekah, if I wanted to conspire with Sophie against Klaus do you really think I would be asking you for directions? She can't be that much of a threat to you all or she would be dead." She notes the slight twitch in Rebekah's features. There's something there, Bonnie realizes, something she hasn't quite figured out yet. "I need to speak to a witch about what is going on in this city because I know it's related to whatever it is that has gotten Kol so worked up. If not Sophie, do you know another witch that will give me the time of day as soon as I mention the last name _Mikaelson_?"

Rebekah sighs.

Then leads her to Rousseau's.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Here we go! Another chapter! Sorry for the long delay. I want everyone know that I remain committed to this story. I love the little world I am building. I really appreciate every bit of feedback that I get. Your kind words keep me going! This chapter deals a lot with some things that are specific to **_**The Originals**_** canon. If you are not a watcher of that show, you should still be fine because Bonnie is learning about it just as the reader is. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask! **

_Part Seven_

Thankfully the walk to Rousseau's proves to be a short one. Rebekah has taken it upon herself to ask a seemingly endless amount of questions in regards to what Kol has gotten up to since he revealed himself to Bonnie. Bonnie stops short of telling her _everything_ (because explaining that her brother played the role of voyeur to she and Jeremy seems a step too far) but says just enough to keep the vampire happy.

Rousseau's is in the heart of the Quarter. The only thing that gives it away is a faded sign hanging high above their heads. She would have missed it altogether had Rebekah not stopped short. For a moment, Bonnie eyes her curiously and then she glances up. "Ah," she says and then is quick to turn for the door.

Rebekah catches her arm. "I meant what I said, witch. If you do anything…"

"...you'll take my head off. You've made yourself perfectly clear," Bonnie states and then gives a pointed look to where Rebekah has an iron grip on her arm. She is freed seconds later and enters the bar. It doesn't surprise her that it is like every other hole in the wall she has ever wandered into: scarred wooden floor, dim lighting, jazz playing quietly in the background…

..._but the smell_.

That's new - and wholly tempting.

It reminds her that she hasn't eaten in God knows how long. She presses a hand to her stomach, closes her eyes and breathes deeply. Her stomach grumbles in return and she blushes a little. Rebekah is standing next to her now and of course raises an elegantly plucked brow. "Did my pigheaded brother even offer to feed you?"

"I would have turned him down," Bonnie points out. She moves deeper into the room, her eyes roaming from side to side for any sign of Sophie Deveraux. Finally she ends up standing at bar right in front of a friendly looking blonde.

"Cami!" Rebekah greets as if the pair are old friends. The bartender doesn't look as convinced. Bonnie automatically senses a history there. It is confirmed a moment later.

"_Rebekah_! Your brother find someone new to _write his memoirs_?" There is a high level of sarcasm there.

Bonnie turns her head to look at Rebekah. "I see Klaus is making friends in his usual manner."

Cami, the bartender, smiles widely. "Oh look, another one of your brothers' fans." Her attention is solely on Bonnie now. "What can I help you with?"

Somehow Bonnie knows if she wants to she could have a free drink as long as they toast to Klaus' demise. It would, however, be a _little_ rude to do so in front of his sister - and, truthfully, counterproductive to her goals. "I'm looking for Sophie Deveraux."

"There you are," Cami announces to Bonnie's obvious confusion. "She told me someone might be by to see her. Said if you show up to tell you to head into the kitchen."

Bonnie nods, and glances towards her chaperone. "You think I can do this alone?"

"Witchy bonding time, I get it," Rebekah states as she slides onto a stool. Cami does not look pleased that she has done so. "Besides, it's not as if I can't hear everything you are saying…" She taps a finger to her ear. _Smirks_.

"_Right,_" Bonnie retorts. She thanks Cami and then heads towards the kitchen (and the source of that mouth-watering smell). She finds Sophie bent over a pile of vegetables with a rather sharp looking knife. She stands in the doorway and watches the other witch absolutely destroy celery stalks with precision cuts before she clears her throat.

Sophie looks up, and then smiles widely. "I knew you'd come."

"With a babysitter," Bonnie answers. "Rebekah's in the other room." Her not so subtle way of reminding Sophie to be careful with her words. Bonnie senses that Sophie is in enough trouble with the Mikaelson's as it is.

"It says a lot about you that you warrant one of the big guns following you around," Sophie states before she plows the knife through an onion (Bonnie wonders if she is picturing Klaus' face as she does so). She points the blade towards a stool at the edge of her workspace. "Have a seat if you'd like."

Bonnie does so and, for fear of her fingers, keeps her hands to her side. "You knew me earlier. Or _not_ me but…"

Sophie makes a face as she continues to chop the onion into small pieces. "Yeah, of course I knew of you. You're a Bennett witch. Pretty powerful line. Old line too." Bonnie can't help but feel proud of that fact (she doesn't often have chance to do so). She stops her work for a moment to give Bonnie a pointed look. "You _nearly_ killed Klaus."

Bonnie nods. That seems like a lifetime ago. What an idealistic girl she had been, thinking she could wipe Klaus from the face of the earth so easily. She had been _so_ ready to die then. She wonders if she had to do it all again just what her choices would be. "Something you'd like to do I suppose?"

"Him, his family, _Marcel_…" Sophie shrugs. "They're all the same. They all want to keep the witches under their heel."

"I can't imagine the witches of New Orleans answering to anyone," Bonnie says quietly. There is a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She thinks to what Kol has told her - witches on both sides of life actively plotting. "This whole town is famed for being built on magic…"

"We don't have to choice, Bonnie, but to answer," Sophie says as she places the knife flat against the table. She wipes her hands against her apron and then pulls a stool to sit opposite of Bonnie. "I have to ask this and I think I already know the answer so forgive me in advance - but are you _working _with the Mikaelsons?"

Bonnie makes a face. "No." Then she considers the logistics of it all. "Not really. Not in the way you might think." Sophie gives her a look - like she understands Bonnie's answer (funny, she's still trying to work out what side she is on herself).

"So you don't know the whole story?" Sophie confirms with a nod. "You don't know what's happened here. To the witches." When Bonnie shakes her head, Sophie wastes no time. "We can't practice magic. At all."

"What?" Bonnie asks, her face screwing up in confusion. "Why not?"

"Because Marcel has deemed it so. When Klaus came back, he of course adopted that particular rule of Marcel's. Any witch caught practicing magic is punished. By death." Sophie's voice wavers and then cracks a little.

Bonnie sits up straight on her stool. "How on earth can that be enforced? What do they have? Spies?" Suddenly she thinks of Rebekah, lounging in the bar, and no doubt listening to everything that is being said. She turns her head in that direction.

"Don't worry. I'm not telling you anything that is not out in the open anyway," Sophie reassures her. "But yes, there are spies. It's more than that though. Marcel has Davina."

"Davina?"

"She's one of us. A New Orleans witch. But she's special…" Sophie trails off and takes a deep breath. Once again Bonnie is struck by the pain evident in the other witch. "...she's a Harvest Girl."

Bonnie wonders if the headache forming at the edge of her temples is the result of her hunger or the growing number of complications she is facing. " - _harvest _girl?"

Sophie takes a deep breath. "The witches of New Orleans practice something called…"

"Ancestral magic," Bonnie finishes. "I know. I've heard of it."

"Well, the thing about ancestral magic is it comes in cycles." She thinks for a moment and then shakes her head. "Maybe it is better to compare it to waves. We can be at full strength or we can be _this close_ to watching our magic slip between our fingers. Over time our connection to the ancestors weakens and we have to do something to strengthen it once again. So...there's a ritual…" Bonnie doesn't like the sound of this. "Called the Harvest. Four girls from our community are chosen. They practice and prepare under the watchful eye of the witch elders. Then…" There's a pause and Sophie closes her eyes, shakes her head. "...they are sacrificed."

"You _kill _them?" Bonnie asks and does nothing to hide her surprise (or her judgement).

"I know, I know…" Sophie's hands fly up in defense. "I know what it sounds like okay? But it's not that simple. Yes, for a moment they die. Their power is absorbed by the ancestors. Then they are resurrected. The witches of New Orleans are at their most powerful again and the Harvest girls are celebrated as being saviors of the community."

Bonnie blinks, knowing her mouth is slightly agape. "Do they know...do they know what they are getting themselves into?"

Sophie shakes her head. "Maybe they once did. This time around...the elders didn't tell them because they thought it best. Knowing you were going to die - even for a moment or two...they were worried that might affect the outcome."

"It sounds…" Bonnie knows she must choose her words carefully. In the end, she can't. It just slips out. "...barbaric."

"I know," Sophie says. "Which is why I was against it..._my niece…_"

"She was one of them...a Harvest girl," Bonnie says and now she understands the pain in Sophie's eyes. Both fall quiet for a moment, the only sound being the murmurs from the bar patrons on the other side of the kitchen wall. Sophie has found a spot on the floor to stare at. Finally Bonnie has to ask the obvious question (at least to her). "So what went wrong?"

"I _did_," Sophie says and her voice is thick. She is still looking at the floor. "I didn't believe in it, Bonnie. I mean the last time the witches of New Orleans did the Harvest….it was over three hundred years ago. All we knew of it was what was written in books and I didn't trust in it. Especially when I saw that Monique had been chosen. I wanted her out of there. I wanted her safe...so I told Marcel."

"Marcel?" Bonnie questioned, both her eyebrows raising.

Sophie raises her head. "We were..._friends._"

"Oh," Bonnie says and then the full implication hits home. "_Oh!_"

"Yeah." Sophie presses her lips together. "I thought he would stop it. I mean, he did stop it. But it was too late. They had already killed Monique, two of the others...only Davina was left. Marcel saved her. She's with him. As each of the girls died, her powers were passed onto the next. Davina has them all…"

"And a reason to hate the witches," Bonnie concludes.

Sophie nods. "She can sense it - when a witch uses power. She can sense it and she tells Marcel. He dishes the 'punishment' for breaking his rule…"

"But I thought you said you were...uh, _friends_?" Bonnie asks.

"Casual at best," Sophie retorts with a hint of a smile. It quickly disappears. "What Marcel wanted most was to be in control of this city. To be its king…"

"I am starting to see why Klaus turned him," Bonnie comments offhandedly.

"With Davina, he has the key to keep the witches in line. He already took care of the wolves." Sophie shakes her head. "It's a mess really."

"Understatement," Bonnie points out. "You...the _witches_ want Davina back."

"We need her back," Sophie says and then stands. "Look I know I dumped a lot on your lap. You hardly know me - I hardly know you. But I do know that you've stood up to the Mikaelsons and came out alive."

_Not quite_, Bonnie thinks but then again the Mikaelson's only played a small role in the bigger picture that lead to her death. " - and you want me to give you pointers to ensure you can do the same?" Bonnie asks as she watches Sophie move around the kitchen.

"Something like that…" Sophie takes a deep breath. "I just want to bring my niece back. I could care less about the rest of it." She stops and looks at Bonnie. "You must have so many questions."

"On top of so many others," Bonnie confirms. "But first - can I have bowl of whatever is on the stove? It smells like heaven right now."

**X**

Rebekah waits until they are almost at the entrance to the abattoir to speak. "Sophie was certainly a chatty little monkey with you."

"You know how it is - fellow witches under the thumb of oppressive vampires. Tends to speed up the bonding process," Bonnie states. She rubs her arms, finding the night air a bit cold. It has to be late now. Well after midnight. It's been a hell of a day - to think she had woke up in her dorm room that morning and will now sleep under the same roof as Klaus Mikaelson. She almost wants to pinch herself. She tries to process her conversation with Sophie but finds her tired brain is protesting. She knows one thing for sure. "She told me all that because she wants my sympathy. She wants my help." Bonnie doesn't doubt that Sophie had been sincere in her words but she knows that the over sharing is part of Sophie's bid to get Monique back. _Another girl will have to die for that to happen - _and then everyone involved will have to have faith that a ritual that hasn't been practiced in three hundred years will work.

"How can _you_ help Sophie Deveraux?" Rebekah asks. When Bonnie's eyes narrow in her direction, the Original looks nonplussed. "I don't mean it as an insult, sweetie. You are a formidable little thing. I do like how you manage to knock Nik on his ass every now and then. But you are also missing a key element: your power. Did you even mention to your change of employment to Sophie?"

"You know I did - don't pretend you weren't listening to every detail," Bonnie snaps. She had seen something go out in Sophie's eyes. A bit of hope maybe - she is probably grasping at straws at this point.

"Someone needs a nap," Rebekah shoots back but there is nothing but amusement in her voice. Apparently she enjoys antagonizing Bonnie. She opens the gate to the Mikaelson estate and then groans. "Oh dear, the _men _are waiting for us. Do brace yourself, Bonnie."

She has little choice but to follow Rebekah in. Seated at one of the tables are Elijah and Marcel. Both look up as she and Rebekah enter. Klaus is standing in the middle, his arms crossed. He looks positively deadly. Rebekah seems not to notice (or perhaps is used to it all). She traipses by Klaus and raises a brow when she meets Marcel's eye. "My, my, Marcel Gerard - _Sophie Deveraux._" Elijah's head jerks in the direction of the younger vampire. Marcel looks anywhere but at the two of them.

Klaus has seemingly missed this little exchange (or more likely ignored it). He looks from his sister to Bonnie. "Where have you been?"

Rebekah makes a face. "I took her to the docks, brother. To meet all the cute sailors." Klaus glowers in her direction. "Were you not paying attention? Sophie Deveraux…" Another look at Marcel and Bonnie is beginning to think there is something there (she wishes she would stop picking up on such things). "She and Bonnie had a little pow wow."

_That's right, Rebekah, throw me so far under the bus I don't even have a chance to get out_, Bonnie thinks. She no sooner has time to blink and Klaus is in front of her. She takes a deep breath and hopes that this confrontation will go infinitely better than their last. "I'm trying to get to the bottom of who's coming for you, Klaus. Having a friend in the witch community...especially one who seems to be on the outs with them, might prove useful," she tells him firmly. She's too damn tired to get into a fight (he is no doubt the opposite). "Don't worry; we didn't plot your downfall. Rebekah was looking right over my shoulder."

"Sophie tried her pity story on the little witch," Rebekah confirms. "Really, Nik, your paranoia is unfounded here."

"Sister, do shut up," Klaus snaps, his eyes never leaving Bonnie. "I thought I made it clear that I do not want you wandering off. It is _for your own safety_ of course."

"I can't very well solve the mystery of who wants to kill you…" It would be easier to decipher who doesn't at this point. "...from my well furnished by overly oppressive room."

Klaus lowers his head so that he fills her line of vision. Bonnie refuses to cower. "You do _not_ leave."

"That's right - I heard you like to collect witches," she says, her voice quiet but steady. "What happens when you get one more? Is that a set?" His brows shove together and it is almost as if he falters. So she keeps pushing. "Where is she by the way? Davina?"

Marcel stands, moving toward the pair of them. "Sophie is not getting her hands on her."

Bonnie's gaze moves from Klaus to Marcel. She sees it, the possessive protectiveness that Sophie hinted at. No wonder he has that look - Davina is a living breathing weapon against their biggest threat to power. "And I am not here to hand her over. That's a hell of a story Sophie told me...the Harvest ritual and how you interrupted it."

"I couldn't let them slit a kid's throat," Marcel states so fiercely that for a moment Bonnie entertains that the idea that power had not been his motivation.

She wonders if she could have let it happen if she had been in Marcel's shoes. She doesn't know. She doesn't want to know. "Especially one that powerful." Marcel narrows his eyes. _Direct hit_, she thinks. Whatever his motivation had been, it has certainly been warped into something different. "From what Sophie told me...you saved her from a temporary death but put her on the path for a true one." Both vampires standing in front of her look baffled. "She has the essence of four witches inside of her. That's _a lot_ of power. It will only burn her up in the end."

"You lie. She _lies_," Klaus states. "She would say anything to save her precious coven from being nothing more than mere mortals. Soon it will be too late to do anything about it."

"Right. Sophie told me about that too - there is a countdown on until the power of the witches totally drains away." At this point they are limited to the most basic of spells (if they would be even 'allowed' to practice). Which is why they want to find Davina. Which is why they are no doubt cooking up one hell of a backup plan with the witches on the Other Side. She thinks she has done well in putting some pieces of the puzzle together on this night - she wonders if Kol has managed to find anything out at all.

"They're desperate. They'll say anything to get their hands on her," Marcel points out. He snorts a laugh and then shakes his head. "Including making themselves out to be Davina's savior."

"Apparently she'll rip this city apart when it becomes too much," Bonnie states. She is numb thinking of it. Thinking of a girl she has never met - but understands. After _all…_

"You are a fool to believe anything Sophie Deveraux says," Klaus spits.

"Remember _how_ I died?" Bonnie shoots back, and her weariness has an effect on the level of emotion evident in her voice. "Or were you not paying attention to that part of my story? Too much magic all at once. I just _short circuited _and that was it." She closes her eyes, reliving those final moments of her life as she had known it. There had been a rush of magic, a feeling like she was invincible. Then _pain_ - nothing but pain. Blissfully short of course, her body had given up fighting back quickly. It had been surreal to stand over herself and realize what had happened. She had been the cause of it too. She had been greedy and paid the price. Davina's story is not entirely comparable. No doubt she had thought she was doing something good, something to save her fellow witches and now she is saddled with far too much power. But still, even with the differences, Bonnie knows what she is facing. "I don't know what the answer is. I just know, from _personal experience_, that overloading on magic is entirely possible. She needs to be careful. She needs to _limit_ the amount of magic being used…"

"Oh," Klaus interrupts, throwing his hands. "And there you have it - there is the other anvil. If Davina slows down her use of magic then she will not be able to detect the spells the rest of the witches are using. Clever play, Bonnie."

She shakes her head. "My God, you really are that paranoid aren't you? Maybe if you…" And then she gives a pointed look to Marcel. "...and _you_ had tried to work with the witches of New Orleans instead of suppressing them they wouldn't be gunning for you so damn hard. You don't want to believe that Kol is here, that's fine. But your war infused brain surely can understand the idea of enemies wanting revenge. It's big, Klaus. Maybe extending an olive branch will help...but knowing you, it's probably too far gone anyway." She sighs, feeling utterly drained. "I need sleep. I'll go do that in the bed you've _generously _provided for me." She doesn't wait to be dismissed. Doesn't even give any of them another look (and therefore misses the way Elijah stands, ever the mirage of a gentleman, as she climbs the stairs).

She thinks she hears the beginnings of bickering amongst those she has left below but she can't be bothered to eavesdrop. Instead she opens the door and stops in her tracks. Kol is sprawled out on the bed, his hands clasped behind his head. Funny, how she is actually _happy_ to see him (no doubt she is comparing him to his siblings). "You get all that?" She asks as she shrugs out of her jacket.

"I caught the tail end of it. _Bloody idiot_," Kol says and shakes his head. "Actively stirring up a hornet's nest by messing with the witches. He doesn't understand. To him, a witch only has a purpose if he is gaining something…"

"No offense, but isn't that how you view witches too?" She asks with a raised eyebrow then instantly regrets it. She has spent most of this night fighting. She shouldn't pick another one. She watches as he sits up on the bed. "Look…"

"Unlike my brother, I am actually _tutored _the witches who I have kept company with. I encouraged them to embrace their potential - not ground them under my heel," Kol states.

"Right." Bonnie is quick to agree because she is worried she is going to fall over. She takes a deep breath. "Mind getting off my bed? I need to use it."

"You do have that look of death about you," Kol says but stays right where he is.

"_Fine_." Bonnie's voice is clipped. She slips off her shoes and moves to lie on top of the bed opposite him. He raises a brow. "Before you get smart, you underestimate how exhausted I am right now." It is automatic for her to turn on her side, her arm curling under the pillow. Her eyelids feel heavy but she knows there is more business to attend to. "Did you find out anything?"

"I managed to throw together a few pieces of information," Kol confirms. He grins and she thinks he is about to push his boundaries. He flops back on the bed, resuming the position she found him in. "There is a leader on this side of things. A _witch_ - and she is the one who is orchestrating the whole plan. She is gathering her troops as it were and they are preparing for something big. She has a contact on among the living New Orleans witches."

"You didn't get their names? Or at least one of their names?" Bonnie asks.

"That would make things easier now wouldn't it? No, no names." He furrows his brows together. "The person I spoke to - a vampire Elijah turned centuries ago sounded _afraid_, like he knew there would be consequences for even telling me what he did. I haven't given up of course but I thought you should know what I've found so far."

"It would be easy to get a better handle on things if we knew which of the witches was the contact." She closes her eyes, only because there is no way she can keep them open a moment longer. "Still awake if you're wondering. Just…"

"Falling asleep on me. I must say I feel a bit inadequate at the moment. It has been some time since I shared a bed with a beautiful woman and she is falling asleep on me," Kol says with heavy sarcasm. She hears the sound of his feet hitting the floor and a moment later she knows he is standing. "_Sleep_, Bonnie, there is no sense in attempting to solve a mystery at this hour. We'll talk soon."

He falls silent and stays that way. She wonders if he is even still there. So she tests the water. "Goodnight, Kol."

There is a pause.

"Goodnight, Bonnie."


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Well I officially have a better turnaround time than between parts 6 and 7. I am still working on doing better than months between chapters. Hopefully I can pull it off. I want to thank everyone who took the time to let me know what they thought of Chapter 7. It is, as always, very much appreciated. I guess everyone better hang on from the end of this chapter on. I am about to marry some season 5 TVD canon with some season 1 TO canon. I am excited about it so hopefully you will too! Enjoy! **

**Part 8**

Bonnie wakes late in the morning - which makes sense when she considers the ungodly hour at which she had finally fallen asleep.

She shifts slowly in the bed, realizing that she had slept on top of the covers and in the clothes she had worn the day before. Her body protests as she moves. Why on _earth _did she sleep in_ jeans_? Her final moments before her eyes became too heavy to stay open come flooding back and she looks around the room.

(because she expects Kol to be there)

It is empty. And _quiet_. In fact when she truly listens she realizes the whole place is shrouded in silence. She takes no comfort in this - there is an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She wonders what became of all the arguing that had served as background noise as she drifted off. _Nothing good_, she knows that instinctively. Still, she would rather avoid the barrage of questions and accusations her visit to Sophie seems to have created.

She rises, rifling through her bag for a fresh set of clothes. She can't resist the lure of the rather ornate looking shower, even though part of her fears that one of the Mikaelson siblings will come bursting through the door at any moment. She feels better though after it is all said and done. She decides that the next time Klaus or any one of them stresses her out she is crawling back under the shower head, closing her eyes and picturing herself under a tropical waterfall (ludicrous she knows but she needs some kind of escape).

Now clean and in fresh clothes, she moves to satisfy another one of her basic needs: _hunger_. The bowl of gumbo at Rousseau's had been a slice of heaven and she can see herself becoming a regular (if she ever can fully shake off Klaus' version of _generosity_). Her stomach grumbles as she thinks of it and she decides, eerie silence or not, she can't stay in the room forever. She sticks her head out the door first, feeling a bit silly doing so but she figures better a split second moment of awkwardness than twenty minutes of pure torture listening to Klaus Mikaelson drone on about his enemies.

_No one_.

She makes a face, trying to convince herself that it is a good thing. She moves as silently as possible along the balcony that surrounds the courtyard. Not a thing seems out of place - if any of them came to blows the night before they made sure to clean up after themselves. She has her first foot on the staircase when she hears it. It is soft and for a moment she wonders if she is making it up. Her head tilts and then she is sure.

_Crying_.

Bonnie abandons the staircase and moves toward the source instead. It seems strange to hear such a sound in this home of all places but she can't ignore it. She finds herself standing in front of a door much like her own. Before she can second guess her actions, she is pushing it open. The teenaged girl that is seated in the middle of the bed is quick to whip her head in Bonnie's direction. Though she has a look that can be described as a mixture of confusion and anger, Bonnie can see unshed tears in the girl's eyes. She puts two and two together easily. "Davina?"

The confusion grows. "Who the hell are you?"

There is anger in Davina's voice. Much more than there should be for one so young. Bonnie is not deterred by it. She moves further into the room. "Bonnie," she begins. "I'm Bonnie Bennett…"

Something crosses Davina's face and Bonnie wonders if like Sophie, Davina has heard of the Bennetts. If so, she hides it. "Do you_ know how to knock_, Bonnie Bennett?"

"I do and I should have," Bonnie concedes. "I heard you crying."

Davina angrily swipes at her face to remove any evidence of the act. "So what? You here to tell me that things will get better? Marcel already gave me that speech this morning - you're a few hours too late."

Bonnie wonders how many members of this place have tried to placate the temperamental witch. She must be tired of it. "No, I am not. I don't know if they will. Besides, you don't know me. You don't have any reason to trust me."

Davina makes a face. "You're right there. So, if you're not here to lie to me or attempt to gain my trust, you can leave." She flicks her finger and the door opens wide, slamming into the wall hard enough that Bonnie thinks she hears it crack. _Good, _she hopes there is real structural damage that will cost Klaus an arm and a leg to repair.

"I miss the days where I could do that," she says quietly, almost to herself but in the end she knows it is part of a bid to at least put a crack in Davina' hardened exterior. "I would have put a hole in the wall." A smile plays across her lips.

"So, you're really a _Bennett?_" Davina asks, confirming that the split second eyebrow raise when Bonnie mentioned her name had meant something.

"I'm really a Bennett," Bonnie says with a nod. Davina does not look complacent but nor does she look ready to singe the floor beneath Bonnie's feet.

"Why on earth are you _here_? In Klaus Mikaelson's home?" Davina asked and she sounds baffled (that makes two of them).

"It's a long story," Bonnie counters. "Just know that I hate the man as much as you do. More maybe. I don't know how much contact you've had with him."

"Enough," Davina says. She slumps on the bed a little, drawing in a deep breath. Bonnie notices that her hands tremble as she spreads her fingers out on the comforter. "Is he keeping you here? Like a prisoner? _For your own good_?"

_This is the real in_, Bonnie realizes. This is her chance to see if there is any truth to the idea that Davina's magic will overtake her. She nods. "For my own good." Her voice is deadpan. "Klaus' version of hospitality involves locked doors and guards. Comfy bed though."

Davina snorts a laugh. "Sad thing is...I'm basically caught between a rock and a hard place." She has to know that the other witches in her coven are desperate to get their hands on her and finish what they started. Bonnie's stomach clenches at the thought. "But if he calls me _love_ one more time…"

"Better that than _sweetheart_," Bonnie interjects. "When he pulls that one out he is in full condescension mode."

The younger witch appears to consider it for a moment. Then she makes a face. "Next time he does that I am going to knock him on his ass."

Bonnie has no doubt that Davina will try. "Look, I know this is far from ideal. Being here. Worrying about _them_ trying to get their hands on you." She is unsure of how to word what she wants to say next. Despite their shared captivity, Bonnie knows that Davina will default to a defensive position if she pushes it too hard. "Just...be careful okay? Too much magic can be a bad thing. I know from experience." For a brief moment, she swears the color drains from Davina's face. Then the young witch's face turns a shade of pink as blood fills her cheeks once again. " - and if there is _anything_ I can do...just ask okay?" It's the best she can do considering she has just met Davina. As much as she would like to get straight to the point, she has to tread carefully. "Did you have something to eat?"

Davina nods. "His _lordship _might think I am on a hunger strike otherwise."

Bonnie raises a brow, wondering if it is a tactic Davina has tried in the past. There is a lot going on inside the young girl and it must be hell trying to figure it out on her own. Bonnie takes a deep breath, wishing she had more to offer (because she understands, _oh does she understand)_. "I'm three doors down. I think. This place is bigger than it looks," she comments as she backtracks towards the door.

And runs into something solid.

Bonnie flinches and then turns to find herself face to face with Elijah. "Miss Bennett," he says politely before he moves his gaze to Davina. "Miss Claire." Davina has found a spot on the comforter that she finds infinitely more interesting than the Original vampire in her doorway. If she and Davina had more to speak about, it is ruined now. Bonnie tries her best not to express her annoyance at that fact. "I was wondering if you would like to join me for brunch."

_No_, but she needs food. Bonnie can suffer through a few minutes of his company while she stuffs a croissant in her mouth. "I hope you have orange juice," she states as she moves past him. She glances back to find Davina still avoiding Elijah's eyes.

"Miss Claire?"

"_Go to_ **hell**."

Bonnie presses her lips together and raises both brows when Elijah too retreats from the room. "Seems Davina is wise to the Mikaelson charms. Smart girl, I like her," she says as she quickens her pace to avoid falling into step with him. She makes a face when she realizes that while she spoke to Davina, a table had been set in the middle of the courtyard. No doubt Elijah had been eavesdropping the whole time. She gives him a pointed look and he merely extends a hand to indicate she should take the stairs before him.

They do in fact have orange juice. Freshly squeezed no doubt.

Bonnie settles in a chair and reaches for the pitcher. As she pours, she eyes the spread. A bit ornate for her liking but she supposes Elijah had thought he would be entertaining two witches (she almost wishes she had told him to stuff it like Davina). With her glass full, she picks a few pieces of fruit and then a pastry before she finally acknowledges his presence again. He has chosen coffee and nothing else. The idea that he has already _fed_ curls in her stomach. "How did you sleep?"

"_Fine_, after I drowned the lot of you out," she states. Far from the truth of course. She had been exhausted enough to ignore all that but she wants him to know that she heard them. "Seems my outing with Rebekah caused some_ issues_."

"My brother was concerned that you would end up in the wrong hands," Elijah says. "He has enemies within this city."

Funny how Elijah does not consider them his enemies as well. Bonnie is not fooled. Elijah's hands are far from clean no matter how much he may try to pretend otherwise. "And _elsewhere_ too," Bonnie reminds him, deciding not to call him on his statement. She knows that Elijah's heels are firmly dug in when it comes to his image: he is the _good _brother. "But that is not his real issue. He doesn't believe me - about what's coming, _about Kol_."

Elijah pauses, coffee cup held perfectly between his hands. "I believe he does. He just refuses to admit it as of yet. My brother loathes being wrong." He takes a sip and then draws in a deep breath. "And I think that acknowledging our brother's presence will mean that he is acknowledging he failed to avenge his death."

She picks at her pastry as she considers Elijah's take on things. He's on to something but she's not admitting that aloud. "Look, I am not here to deal with Klaus' many emotional issues. Kol is bound and determined to save his family. He won't leave me be until it happens - therefore, despite everything that wants to protest against it, I am bound and determined to save this family too. Or at the very least, do enough to save myself from an eternal stalker."

Elijah's lips quirk into something resembling a smile. "Like many members of my family, Kol possess a heightened level of stubbornness."

She nearly snorts into her glass of orange juice. It's true - every Mikaelson she has crossed paths with knows exactly when to dig their heels in. Good thing she is an expert at it as well. "He certainly hasn't made my life easy as of late." She is practically working her way to being a college dropout, her friends think she is a basket case and she is pretty sure what is left of her relationship with Jeremy is going to crumble to pieces. While she can't place the blame solely at Kol's feet, he deserving of a hefty portion.

"I hope that whatever my brother has done in the name of forcing your hand will be forgivable in the end," Elijah tells her. He is quiet for a moment before he leans in a little. "And know that when this is all over, your help will be appreciated and rewarded."

She is chewing on the croissant as his words sink in. She makes a face and then sets down the pastry. She doesn't realize it but her entire back has straightened and her mouth is set in a firm line.

"Miss Bennett," Elijah begins. "Have I said something to upset you?"

She turns her head toward him and takes him in. He is sitting there, dressed in a suit that has been impeccably tailored. He has been polite. He has gone out of his way to set up this meal. But still, she would very much like to dump his cup of coffee in his lap. _As a start_. "You really don't get it do you?" She asks and then shakes her head. "You really don't understand why I would think you are full of crap." He bristles in his seat but she is just getting warmed up. "You look so good on the surface: respectful, seemingly good morals, a sense of duty to those around you. But beyond that, it's lie. You _tried to have me killed_."

"To protect my family," he interjects and his hand flattens out on the table before curling in on itself. "You would have seen me and siblings dead by our mother's hand."

"You know, I get that part." It may have taken her time to wrap her head around but she understands now. He had been doing what she would have done - _whatever is necessary to protect the ones she loves_. However, that is not the real heart of the issue. "You love your family. You would push back at those who would do them harm. _I get it. _But you know what? When it was all said and done, you regretted your actions. You regretted threatening Elena. You poured your heart out to her in an elegant letter with perfect penmanship. But not once did you think about what had been done to me. _To my mother_. Do you think for one moment had I know that Elena was in danger that I would have let anything happen to her? Do you think I would have followed Esther's word? Elena...she is one of my oldest friends. _My family_ - one of the people I would do anything for. But no, you couldn't come to me and tell me that you had played your hand; that you had Elena. Instead, you went to Damon and Stefan, two people who love Elena so much that they won't think it through. What were your exact words? _Kill the witches?_ You could even be bothered to remember my name. So excuse me, if I think your words are meaningless. _Forgive me_ if I see you for who you _really _are. I don't want your appreciation, Elijah. I don't want _anything_ from you." She pushes the chair back, her insides churning together in such a way she thinks she may lose her breakfast (such a pity, because it tasted good). He hasn't moved from the position he took when she opened her mouth, though she cannot read his face. She is left to make a move. She leans forward to snatch a muffin from its perch.

She doubts she will get another spread like this.

**X**

It takes her an hour to calm down properly.

Bonnie reasons that her words have been caught in her throat for years now. No doubt since the day Elena had showed her the letter and marveled that through it all Elijah had remained honorable towards her. She had felt bitterness in her mouth that day and it had festered ever since.

Still, it doesn't exactly feel like a weight has been lifted now that she has finally let those words out.

She sighs, wishing that she could have remained on the outside of all this. Couldn't she just have _texted_ a warning to Klaus? Sent them an email or something? Now she feels like she is at the heart of everything and it is opening old wounds she has worked hard to close.

"This place has all the doom and gloom of a mortuary."

Her body jerks automatically and she turns to level a rather annoyed gaze in Kol's direction. "I know you are dead and all, but _learn to knock_," she says.

"And lose what little amusement I have left?" He counters. His head cants and his brows go up. "Not bloody likely."

Bonnie's arms cross over her body. "I am in no mood…"

"I can see that. Which one of my dastardly siblings has poked the bear this time?"

She makes a face at Kol's comparison. "Elijah," she answers, surprised that she is so quick to share.

Kol looks surprised. "Usually he is the reasonable one."

"Usually he is a hypocrite," Bonnie shoots back.

Kol's hands go up. "I am not defending him in anyway. Make no mistake. I know he has his moments. _Believe _me." He moves through her room to stand next to her. His head inclines a little. "You want my advice - be cordial with him…"

"You're so full of _sh…"_

"Hear me out," he interrupts. "My brother cannot help himself. If he believes that he has wronged you and he feels guilty for it, he will inevitably do his best to make it right. Which means you will have Elijah's attempts at forgiveness to deal with. If you are civil, he will be more inclined to leave you be."

"I threw civil out the window over a croissant about an hour ago," she confesses. She scrunches her features together as she considers what Kol has said. She does not want to deal with Elijah's need to protect his self-image. Not on top of everything else.

He hums and then shakes his head. "I wish you good luck."

Bonnie moves towards the window. Her hand is on the curtain, pulling it away to let light into the room. On the street below people are already moving in crowds, smiling as they walk through the Quarter. She wishes she could be one of them - here on a holiday perhaps, getting caught up in all the legends and stories of New Orleans. Instead she thinks she is well on her to becoming part of one of them. Kol once again arrives at her side. "I wonder what's like to live blissfully unaware that the world is about shift once again…"

"I honestly can't remember," Kol admits quietly. "I was a boy the last time I think."

"A boy playing with wild animals," she says and she can't help but picture it. She smiles a little; then takes a deep breath. "I need to get to the bottom of this, Kol. I need to so you can help your family. I need to go _home_."

Kol is silent for a moment and his eyes move across her face. She shifts under his gaze, wondering what is going on inside that head of his (if only that was a power bestowed on the anchor). Then he nods. "Let's go over what we have. A recap of sorts and then figure out where it is we need to go from here." Bonnie nods. "My brother, in his _infinite wisdom_, has had a thousand years to amass a list of enemies - most of whom he has dispatched in typical Klaus fashion…"

"And now, they have somehow managed to conspire on the Other Side and are looking for a little revenge," Bonnie interjects. She wonders how long it took for them all to come together, to figure out how they got there in the first place and to decide to push back. Decades? Centuries? Time is such a funny thing on the Other Side. Who knows how long they have been putting their heads together?

"They have to have someone on this side of things. Most likely a witch - or a coven," he says. "To feed ideas to, to fester a hatred - or to resurrect a chosen few."

She presses her lips together. The idea has been playing around in her head as well. "I know what you're thinking. Sophie, her coven...they have more than enough reason to hate Klaus and would be the perfect ones to target. But I don't think they are all on the same page." Sophie is focused on finishing the Harvest ritual as a means to bring back her niece. From the bits and pieces she has shared with Bonnie her actions haven't exactly endeared her to her fellow witches.

"That and their battery packs are almost empty," Kol muses. "You need a lot of power to bring back people from the dead." He eyes Bonnie and she shifts her gaze toward the crowd once again. She knows the reference he is making and he's right. To bring someone back you need more power than a single witch has on his or her own. You need the spirits of a hundred witches. Or expression, dark magic, _or_…

A realization slams into her and her eyes widen.

"Oh crap," she whispers. "Oh _crap_…"

"I am a few _oh craps_ behind you, Bonnie," Kol says, although there is little humor to be found in his words. "Do fill me in."

She moves away from the window to find her bag. She is quick to dig through it until she finds a spiral notebook and a pen. From memory she sketches the same symbol she and Kol had found on that wall moments before she had crossed paths with Elijah. She turns the notebook towards Kol. "Sacrificial magic…" Kol's eyes close and she watches as his shoulders slump. "Marcel found some of his vampires dead recently right? Not staked but still dead. If a witch starts sacrificing immortal beings for the express purpose of channelling their power then…"

"That's a hell of a power boost," Kol finishes. "If he or she collects enough, bringing people back from the dead is easily done."

"We need to figure out who that witch is and fast," Bonnie points out. "Killing five vampires at once didn't go unnoticed. Whoever did this is going to have to know that Marcel is gunning for them _and_ he has Davina, the magic divining rod on his side. They will be quick to collect whatever or _whoever_ else they need."

"Use the witch; if she's so good at what she does," Kol says and it almost looks as if he is ready to go down the hall to demand the spell of Davina himself.

"No," Bonnie answers immediately. Kol's features darken because to him, it no doubt sounds like the easiest answer. "She's got a lot of power swimming around inside of her - and it's going to overload her if she uses it to much. I am not going to be responsible for pushing her further towards the same fate I suffered. Don't even think of fighting me on this one, Kol." Her voice has taken on a quiet tone. A _serious_ one - she has already put her foot down on this and she won't budge no matter what Kol tries in retaliation. "I'll find another way to track down whoever is behind this."

"Best to make it quick," Kol reminds her.

"I _know_," Bonnie replies tartly. "In the meantime, you try to do the same from the Other Side. It would be good to have a few names of those attempting to find their way back here so we can be prepared. _Just in case._"

"Just in case," Kol repeats. "In the end, it would be in everyone's best interest if those who were dead, stayed dead, no matter what it took to ensure it."

Bonnie's eyes narrow. "I already told you _no_, and I **meant** it."

For a moment they stare one another down. Then the corners of Kol's lips curve into a smile. "You truly are adorable when you dig your heels in. Best get to work, love. I'm off to skulk around in the dark. I'll be back before the day is out. I do hope you have a name or at the very least a strong enough lead to warrant overlooking the fastest solution we have."

Bonnie says nothing in return. Instead she watches him as he walks away. He doesn't exactly fade away; she blinks and he is not there anymore. She takes a deep breath and her shoulders fall. The notebook is still trapped between her fingers and she flips back around so she can take in the symbol. Whoever is doing this is skilled, a long time practitioner. This is not something a novice witch would take on even if he or she was being counseled by someone who knew what they were doing. She drops the notebook on her bag and finds her phone instead. Her heart falls when she realizes she has missed a call from Jeremy. Her fingers hover over the _call back _button but in the end, she worries that she will say the wrong thing and he will wind up in New Orleans in the midst of everything. She knows she can't avoid him forever but for now, it is best if he stays out of the loop. She pulls up her list of contacts instead and finds Sophie Deveraux. Her fingers fly across the keyboard: _We need to talk asap. Message me as soon as you get this_.

She hopes that Sophie is near her phone. Despite being an ass about it, Kol is right. No time can be wasted. She needs someone who knows the French Quarter witches and who will not be opposed to exposing one of their own. Given Sophie's perilous position, she is Bonnie's best bet at the moment. Her fingers curve around the phone. "Come on, Sophie…"

There is a knock on the door.

For a moment she considers ignoring it. If it is not Elijah than it is Klaus and she wants no part of him at the moment. But when it comes again, more insistent this time, she knows she is only delaying the inevitable. Bonnie steels herself for the confrontation that is about to happen and then moves across the room to open the door.

She finds Davina instead.

"Oh," she says, obviously surprised. "Hello Davina."

"Is...this a bad time?" The girl at her door feels almost like the opposite of the one Bonnie had met earlier. Whatever fight that had been in her is not apparent at the moment.

"No, no. Please come in." Bonnie moves away from the door and Davina enters. For a moment, the younger witch appears to take in her surroundings. Davina's eyes fall on the Fabergé egg Bonnie had noted the night before. She moves toward it and runs a finger over its delicate surface.

"I broke the one in my room," she tells Bonnie as she turns back. There is a hint of a smile on her face.

Bonnie returns it. "I bet that went over like a lead balloon."

"It was worth it," Davina counters, and then glances back at the priceless artifact as if she is considering repeating the aggravation. Bonnie's gaze shifts to her bed where the notebook lays. For the briefest of moments she considers showing it to Davina and asking her if there is _anything_ she can do to help but she manages to push back at the urge. She _will not_ bring the girl any further into this than she already is. She turns her body toward Davina, giving her full attention to whatever it is that has brought Davina to her door.

Davina presses her lips together and shifts her weight from one foot to the other. "I was thinking about what you said earlier. Your experience when it comes to _too much magic_." She tilts her head, sending some of her hair flying over her shoulder. It seems impossible but somehow the move makes her look younger than she already is. "How did you know? How did you when it was too much?"

"I didn't," Bonnie confesses. "Until it was too late. I thought I had everything under control. I thought I could handle it." She has to wonder why Davina is asking this right now. "What's going on, Davina?" She finds herself on the receiving end of a passive look. "I know you don't know me. I know you don't trust me - but I swear I only have your best intentions in mind. I _died_ because I got in over my head. I don't want that to happen to anyone else, especially those who didn't ask for it in the first place. You can tell me."

Davina appears to think it over but it is only a fleeting moment. Bonnie wonders if she has been desperate to tell someone all along. "I get headaches. Nosebleeds. I know those can be normal things for a witch who has pushed herself too far. But I have _never _had them until recently - and they come when I am not practicing magic. No rhyme or reason. No pattern." She chews her bottom lip. "And lately...I just feel so _different_. I thought maybe it is because it is getting close to the deadline for the Harvest. Like this shaky feeling is the first sign that my powers will soon drain away like the rest of the French Quarter coven. But I think that is my heart trying to reassure me that everything is going to be okay while my brain is telling me that something is _really _wrong with me."

Bonnie moves closer to Davina. For the first time she notices the sheen of sweat evident on the girl's face. She is pale as well and Bonnie's gaze travels to Davina's hands to find them trembling much the same way she had noted this morning in Davina's bedroom. Her mouth is agape as she struggles with finding the right thing to say. "You can't practice magic anymore, Davina. Not even the simplest of spells. Don't even light a candle."

"You think that Klaus will let me get away with that?"

"Screw him. If he wants a witch at his beck and call he needs to find another one. You're on strike." Bonnie is trying to be the positive voice of reason but underneath it she feels like it is too late. Davina has called on all that magic for the last few months, no doubt without knowing any better because the only people she had on her shoulders have been vampires who need her to gain an advantage. Now she is at the edge and Bonnie doesn't know if anything can be done to pull her back. She reaches out and touches Davina's shoulders. The gesture of comfort is retracted automatically. "You're burning up."

Davina appears to swallow a lump in her throat. "I woke up feeling like this…"

"Okay…" Bonnie says quietly. "Okay, don't worry. We'll figure it out."

And then, because things inevitably have to get worse to fit the pattern as of late, Davina lurches forward, opens her mouth and vomits. It hits Bonnie on her pants before it settles on her shoes. She glances down, and finds herself looking at a peculiar sight.

Instead of remnants of the breakfast the Marcel has foisted on Davina earlier, Bonnie sees dirt.

Nothing but _pure dirt_.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: This month I am taking part in Nanowrimo, which is encouraging me to write more on this story. Thus far I have added over 4000 words! I hope to keep plugging away and update when each time I finish a chapter. I want to thank everyone for their continued support and their kind words. It really has helped what I thought would be a simple little drabble (**_**Dead Kol bothers Anchor Bonnie**_**) into a whole world! I get so excited just thinking about all I want to do and I really have the support of my readers to thank for that.**

**Part Nine**

Bonnie is still trying to wrap her head around what has just happened when Davina's head hits her shoulder. It is automatic for Bonnie's arms to shoot out to keep the other witch from crumpling to the floor. "Davina," she says and there is a high level of panic evident in her voice. Davina moans a response and then all of her weight is slumped against Bonnie, causing the pair of them to stumble back. Bonnie manages to stay on her feet though it now feels like she is dragging Davina. She turns and uses the momentum to deposit Davina on the bed.

She's pale.

Bonnie swallows some of that panic. "Davina," she repeats. "Can you hear me?" It alarms her even more that Davina's eyes are not focused on anything in particular. They race wildly around the room and Bonnie is worried that her body might seize. "Hold on…" She doesn't think; she simply moves to the door. "We need help here_!_" The words barely leave her mouth and Elijah is standing in front of her. For a brief moment they stare one another down but she doesn't have time to be angry. She moves out of the way and he is in the room, his eyes falling to Davina.

"What happened?" He asks, his hand moving to touch Davina's forehead. They both react: he winces and she jerks her head to left to shake off his touch.

"She came here, asking about overdoing it with magic. I didn't realize she was that bad until I touched her. It felt like being burned and then she…" Her eyes fall to the pile of dirt on the floor. "...she threw up _dirt_, Elijah." She quickly comes to sit beside Davina on the bed. Like Elijah, she reaches out to touch the witch. Unlike him, she is not rebuffed. "Davina, I'm here. Okay? Just...just _hang on_." She presses her lips together. What if this is it? What if she is watching Davina die just as she had? She shakes her head. "We have to do something! Call a doctor. Take her to the hospital."

"And tell them what precisely?" He asks. "You know as well as I that this is beyond what medicine can comprehend." He shrugs out of his jacket and rolls up his sleeve. She watches as the veins below his eyes thicken and his fangs elongate. He savages his own wrist before she can say anything and the blood immediately runs.

She supposes it is natural thought for him. Vampire blood cures anything.

"It won't work," Bonnie says firmly. She doesn't have anything solid to base it on - she _just knows_. "This is a witch problem. We _need_ a witch." She strokes her fingers across Davina's forehead. Davina's pupils are blown wide open and Bonnie wonders what is going through her head. "I'm calling Sophie."

"One of the very witches that wishes her dead," Elijah states. "Do you think that is wise?"

Bonnie already searching for her phone. She finds it wedged under Davina's back. "You have a better idea, Elijah? I doubt Sophie is going to try anything at the risk of her ending up in pieces around the compound." Before he can argue any further with her, she is dialing Sophie's number. Thankfully Sophie answers after a few rings. "It's Bonnie. I don't have time to get into the details - you need to come to the Abattoir. It's Davina."

There is a pause - a slight one.

"I'm coming," Sophie says firmly. Then hangs up.

Bonnie shoves the phone in her back pocket. "Where is Klaus? Marcel?"

"They are out," Elijah answers. "But they will be back momentarily."

"They are not going to want Sophie within one hundred feet of Davina. You need to convince them otherwise." She resumes her spot next to Davina, determined to hold vigil until Sophie arrives and they get answers.

He raises a brow. "That is quite a task you have laid at my feet."

"You'll figure it out," she tells him though her eyes remain on Davina. "You have a_ way _with words." She hears him leave the room and lets out a whoosh of breath. She takes comfort in the fact that Davina's chest still rises and falls at a steady pace. If it weren't for that, Bonnie would think she is dead. For the hundredth time, she wishes she still had her powers. She hates this. She hates that the most she can do is assure Davina that she is not alone.

She is so engrossed in doing just that that she doesn't notice Elijah has returned at first. It is only when he extends a cold wet cloth toward her that she turns her head in his direction. Right - she should have thought of that. "Thank you," she says quietly before taking it. It is carefully placed on Davina's forehead. It is far from a cure but it gives Bonnie a sense that she has done _something_.

The room falls deathly quiet once again. Bonnie wishes that Davina would moan, scream..._something_. She can't take her eyes off the younger witch and she wonders if this is what she looked like in her final moments. She had been alone though, save for the ghost of her grandmother. Once she had relished that fact because it made it easier to maintain the illusion that she was alive but now she finds it sad to know there had been no one there to send her off. "If she dies…" Bonnie breathes, not realizing she has spoken aloud until Elijah's sharp intake of breath catches her attention. She looks to him, a feeling of grim determination taking hold. "...she won't die alone."

His mouth sets in a grim line before he nods. He turns his body moments later, his head cocked to the side. "My brother and Marcellus have returned," he says and she can hear the strain in his voice. He knows there is a conflict brewing.

She doesn't care.

"You better go play peacemaker then - because Sophie won't be far behind," Bonnie reminds him. His mouth goes slack and she thinks that he is ready to argue as why this will not work.

Instead, he says nothing and she thinks that is the most intelligent thing he has done all morning.

**X**

She doesn't know what Elijah has said, but somehow Sophie Deveraux is now hunched over Davina's prone figure.

She had heard the uproar from below when the idea was first introduced. Klaus' protests had been louder but Marcel's' had been longer sustained. She had sat on the bed in that monstrosity of a house; her fingers still intertwined with Davina's and listened. Why _any _of them think they get to make the final decisions regarding Davina is beyond her. In the end, perhaps Elijah has used pure logic to convince them this was the proper thing to do.

Still, the tension in the room is palpable.

Klaus stands in the doorway, arms crossed tightly over his chest. Bonnie supposes he has chosen that location purposely - if anyone wants to leave the room, they will have to go through him. Marcel is just as obvious. He is close enough to Sophie to strike out should the witch misstep. At first, Bonnie had wanted to intervene but Sophie can handle herself, she proved that by giving him a pointed look. Obviously their shared history, however brief, affords her just enough breathing space to work.

She and Elijah have adopted a similar role: the intermediary. There seems to be a silent understanding between them at the moment (as much as she is loathed to admit it): if things escalate, they will step in, Elijah with muscle and Bonnie with reason. Her lips are pressed in a thin line as she watches Sophie place her hands over Davina's chest and close her eyes. A stream of words falls from her lips, a mixture of French and Latin that has to be unique to the New Orleans witches. Bonnie's mind tries to keep up, deciphering what she knows and filling in the blanks with what she hopes are safe assumptions.

Sophie is not trying to heal Davina - but she is not trying to make things worse either.

Bonnie's heart sinks. Sophie is offering comfort, easing the younger witch's pain, but nothing more. It is as she fears: Davina is burning from the inside out, given far too much power and no real means to control it (in fact she has been egged on by vampires who believe she is a formidable weapon). Her head dips and she wishes she had come months ago; maybe then she could have seen what was coming, prevented it somehow. She may not know Davina (truly know her) but she feels a kinship based on shared circumstance.

Marcel hedges dangerously close to Sophie's personal space. "How long, Sophie? How long until she wakes up?"

_He doesn't get it._

Bonnie takes a deep breath and glances around the room. Marcel may be the only one that doesn't get it. She thinks that maybe she has misjudged Marcel. Maybe he does love her in his own way - he has to if he cannot see what is becoming painfully obvious. She gives Sophie credit for the way she calmly stops her chant and turns her head to look at him. "Marcel, she has _too _much magic…"

He screws his face up immediately and Bonnie can see the denial begin to set in. "_Too much_? Don't hand me that line. There have been more powerful witches than Davina throughout history. She is hardly unique…"

"But she was never meant to be _this_ powerful," Sophie counters. She finally lets her hands fall back to her sides. Davina's eyes are still fixed on the ceiling but her chest rises and falls in a more natural rhythm; she is no longer straining for each breath. Instinctively, Bonnie gives her hand a squeeze. "She is just a kid, Marcel. A kid...our coven used her…" There is bitterness in Sophie's voice. The coven used her niece as well and Bonnie knows forgiveness will not be given easily. "I should have never told you about this, Marcel."

His reaction is immediate. Vampire and witch find themselves toe to toe. Bonnie lets go of Davina's hand to stand beside the bed. She is ready to step in if necessary. So is Elijah. Only Klaus remains in the same position and there is a measure of amusement on his face (of course). It is reflex that has her picturing the blood vessels in Marcel's brain popping - she just does not have the power to back up such an image. _Sadly_.

"You wish you had just let Davina _die_?" Marcel spits out.

Sophie doesn't back down. Instead her eyes flare and she nods her head vigorously. "Yes - and not because I care about my magic, which is what you all are thinking no doubt but because it's the _only damn way_ for her to survive!" Of course that makes no sense to anyone in the room. Sophie must know this for she continues. "The Harvest is incomplete - those three girls, _Monique_...they're stuck because of that. They can't come back. And Davina...she'll join them."

"The hell she will!" Marcel protests and his hands close on Sophie's shoulders.

Bonnie tenses, ready to move around the bed. She may not be able to fry his brain but there is a Fabergé egg that would put one hell of a dent in his skull. She is tempered however by Elijah, who comes to stand next to her. She gives him a look, one that says she does not need his brand of help but he ignores her. Knowing this is not the time to stomp on his foot (though she would very much like to), Bonnie turns her attention back to Marcel and Sophie.

One look and she gets why Elijah has stopped her intervention. Beyond curling his fingers around her shoulders, Marcel has done nothing. His body language is not threatening; in fact he looks as if he is clinging to Sophie, hoping that she will say something that will spare him what is to come. Sophie can't of course and she understands all too well that kind of grief. "She's dying, Marcel," she says quietly.

"You can fix her," Marcel points out and his fingers tighten. He shakes Sophie but she seems to firmly plant her feet to the ground. Bonnie notices how her face remains passive and wonders what is going on behind the facade. "You can _save_ her."

"I can," Sophie confirms. Bonnie's brows furrow together and beside her she can feel Elijah's body tense. "By finishing what my coven started. By completing the ritual."

It takes Marcel a split second to comprehend what Sophie has just stated. When it hits him, anger comes to the surface. He pushes at Sophie and his vampire strength sends her flying. She hits the wardrobe on the other side of the room and slides to the floor. Bonnie's eyes widen and she moves towards the fallen witch. Though stunned, Sophie puts her hand up to indicate she is no worse for the wear. Marcel now stands between Sophie and Davina. "You're not going to _kill_ her. That's _final_." His voice rises on the final word and it echoes into the courtyard below. Bonnie is quickly learning that Marcel wears his emotions on his sleeve and is quick to react (no wonder Klaus took him under his wing).

Sophie doesn't move to get up. Instead she stays on the floor, looking defeated (but for a very different reason than the obvious physical pain, Bonnie suspects). "It's the only way. She's going to die no matter what. She can't hold it anymore. If I complete the Harvest…"

"You lot get your powers back," Klaus finishes, interjecting at the worst possible moment as per usual. Bonnie gives him a look that he pointedly ignores. "_Hardly ideal_."

"Yes, the French Quarter Coven will have renewed their bond with the ancestors and therefore be strengthened by the connection," Sophie states. Perhaps she sees no real point in denying it. "But more importantly, those who were chosen and made the sacrifice will be rewarded. They will get to _live_ again."

"If you believe in all that mumbo jumbo," Marcel points out. "An entry in some witch's diary from over two hundred years ago is hardly compelling evidence."

"Sometimes you have to have faith…" Sophie counters. "I didn't, not when this started. Look what that's cost my family. Monique is gone, her mother died trying desperately to find a way to bring her back and _now_…"

Bonnie's eyes fall back to Davina. "How long does she have?" There is no way that Marcel (or Klaus) are going to agree to Sophie's _solution_ right now. Too many emotions have been stirred up and it is impeding logical thought. Add to that, Bonnie isn't entirely sure what to think of the plan herself. It is instinct (or their connection to witchcraft) that allows Bonnie to trust Sophie Deveraux but she also knows that Sophie is clinging onto the last hope that Monique can be saved. That does not exactly make for unbiased judgement.

"A week at most," Sophie answers as she uses a nearby table to pull herself back on her feet. "She'll come out this...what's happening to her now. But…"

"...it's only temporary," Bonnie finishes. That she _believes_ without question. "Is there anything else you can do for her today?" When Sophie shakes her head, Bonnie continues. "I'll walk you out."

There is no fight in Sophie at the moment. She obviously knows better than to push. She nods and the two head for the door. Klaus still holds court there and smiles as the two approach. Bonnie steps between he and Sophie. "She's leaving, Klaus. Without Davina, without access to what you think she needs to regain full use of her magic. You should be gleefully stepping aside," Bonnie says firmly.

"I could just lop off her head," Klaus retorts.

"Move," Marcel says quietly. Sire and progeny stare one another down for a moment but in the end Klaus surprisingly concedes.

Bonnie is quick to usher Sophie through the open space. Best not allow Klaus to rethink his decision. She waits until they are in the courtyard to speak again. "Sophie, I know this is a horrible thing to ask but…"

"You want to be sure that I am truly doing all I can for Davina instead of letting her drift closer to death for my own purpose," Sophie finishes and comes to a stop. Bonnie's eyes widen in surprise because yes, that is exactly it; she just didn't expect Sophie to be so blunt about it. Sophie's arms have moved across her body, a classic defensive position and one that Bonnie herself has taken numerous times. "I am, Bonnie. I know to everyone who is not a member of my coven it is hard to believe, especially given what is stake for me personally, but I _mean _it. Davina is going to die. What you saw earlier...it's just the beginning. There were four girls - Abigail, Cassie, Davina and Monique. That is not some arbitrary number. Four girls, four elements. She threw up dirt right? Before she passed out?"

"_Earth_," Bonnie says quietly.

Sophie nods. "Earth. Water, wind and fire will follow with increasing intensity as her hold on the magic within her continues to spiral out of control. Everyone in the Quarter will feel the effects and if they're not careful they could be hurt. _Or worse_." Her head falls. "I should have believed. I should…"

Like Marcel, Bonnie places her hands on Sophie's shoulders. Unlike Marcel, her touch is gentle, meant to comfort. "You wanted to protect your family, Sophie. You did what you did because you loved your niece too much to leave it to chance. You can't blame yourself."

"Easier said than done." Sophie draws in a deep breath and her shoulders lift under Bonnie's hands. She takes a step back, her eyes on the exit. "I know that you want to give them time to figure out what to do. To maybe even come to terms with it. Just...they can't wait too long. It can't be last minute. This ritual takes time to prepare. She's going to die," Sophie repeats. "It's really just a question of whether or not she stays that way." With nothing more to be said, she leaves.

Bonnie is left standing in the middle of the courtyard, completely and utterly overwhelmed.

**X**

When Davina wakes, the house shakes.

Bonnie has returned to her room to find that Marcel has taken up vigil beside Davina. Not wanting to crowd the girl (nor intrude on what looks like a private moment) Bonnie moves to sit on the window sill. For a moment she looks down at the crowds of people making their way down the street. They are smiling, laughing, completely carefree to the growing threat of a ghost army - and now a witch whose magic could very well level the French Quarter before it is all said and done. Once again, she wishes she was one of them; oblivious instead of at the epicenter. She leans forward, pressing her forehead against the glass.

That's when it happens - and it is not subtle by any means.

It takes her a moment to realize what is going on. The vibrations come hard and fast, rocking the old building to its very core. Bonnie's head bangs against the pane as her hands shoot out to steady herself. Below the people in the street stumble, and some topple over. There are alarmed cries. The sound of breaking glass pulls her attention back into the room. The damned egg has worked itself to the edge and now lays in pieces on the floor. Davina has managed to break the thing after all.

Marcel is standing, his hand still wrapped around Davina. He meets Bonnie's gaze as the rocking stops and the house settles peacefully once again. "What the hell just happened?"

_Earth_, she thinks. _Earth just happened_. But somehow she doesn't think the answer will go over well with Marcel. Bonnie realizes she is straining the muscles in her arms as she holds herself steady in the window sill. She lets go, her feet coming down to tentatively touch the floor as if she is afraid the room is going to violently shake once again and she will wind up tossed on the street below. She blinks, willing her heart to slow down. Still, her chest heaves rapidly as the bolt of adrenaline runs its course. She looks from Marcel to Davina to find that her eyes closed now. The young witch then shifts before moaning softly in her sleep. Bonnie steps forward automatically and Marcel is quick to return to her side. "_D_?"

She is awake just as quickly as she went under. Bonnie watches in amazement as Davina sits up on her bed, looking confused of course but no worse for wear. There is color in her cheeks. It is like Davina is waking from a nap instead of pulling back from the brink of self-destruction. Marcel has his arms around the puzzled teen and Bonnie knows he thinks the worst is over. She doesn't have the heart to tell him otherwise nor does she think that now is the time to discuss the reality of the situation with Davina.

She leaves the pair of them, venturing back onto the balcony. Both Klaus and Elijah are standing in the middle of the courtyard, their heads tilted toward her. They too are confused; no doubt the earth shifting beneath their feet was the cause. She gives them a pointed look. "Davina's awake," she says as she descends the stairs. "And Marcel has hope…"

"A dangerous thing," Elijah comments.

"Exactly," she counters and comes to stop a few feet from them. "I don't know what is going to happen...but I do know that it won't be good." She turns her attention to Klaus. She feels ridiculous for even attempting this. "You made Marcel and he's still around - which means he is more than a means to an end." Klaus' face darkens at the implication so she soldiers on to avoid him reflecting on it too deeply. "You _care_ about him. In your own way." Again he bristles but this time it feels as if he has done so only because others expect him to. "He's going to need you." She leaves it at that because giving Klaus emotional advice seems akin to poking a sleeping bear.

She gets back to business.

"I know Sophie believes what she says. It is not about reclaiming magic but getting back lives that were taken far too soon. I have _no idea_ if there is any solid evidence of what she believes but I intend to find out." Already she is moving toward the exit.

She has her hand on the handle to pull open the heavy door before Klaus realizes what she is doing. He narrows his eyes. "_Bonnie_…"

Her patience, her resolve, her _everything_ is worn thin. She sighs heavily as she turns back. "Don't worry about my _safety_, Klaus. I am sure I can handle myself. I'll be back under your feet before you know it." He has a look about him and she wonders if he can't control Davina's situation then he will work extra hard to control hers. She is prepared to dig her heels in and fight for her cause. She isn't above just rushing into the crowded street either. He is less likely to pull her kicking and screaming back into the Abattoir if he has to compel dozens of tourists afterwards. Time is a factor here - she doesn't want to dance around the subject of her freedom with Klaus.

It turns out she won't have to.

"Let her go, Niklaus," Elijah says and he sounds as weary as she feels. "It is obvious that she cares for Davina. She is not going to wander away until she has done all she can to help the girl."

Bonnie's momentary confusion is soon swept away by Kol's words: _If_ _he believes that he has wronged you and he feels guilty for it, he will inevitably do his best to make it right_. Well, that didn't take long. She won't look a gift horse in the mouth. If Elijah wants to start making amends by springing her free from this place momentarily she'll take it. He's far from forgiven but he doesn't have to know that.

Klaus spares his brother a look that would have leveled him flat if he were not immortal. Then his attention is back on Bonnie. "If you are not back by the supper hour, I will find you myself. _Understood?"_

"Of course," she retorts and doesn't bother to point out that playing hide and seek with a hybrid is the last thing she wants to do at the moment. Instead she doesn't waste another second. She pulls open the door and steps into the sunlight. Around her people are still pulling themselves together after what has happened; she can hear them murmuring excitedly and a few will require medical attention. She doesn't stop to ensure that they are all right. Instead she weaves through the crowd and moves into the heart of the Quarter.

She has an ancient witch ritual to decipher.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: As I mentioned in the last update I am currently taking part in Nanowrimo in an effort to actively move this story forward. Though I have not quite kept up with the daily goals I am happy to report that I have worked on this story **_**every single day **_**in November thus far. I would venture a guess and say this is the shortest span between chapters! I can't promise that this will be a regular occurrence but I do hope you enjoy this chapter. The next few chapters really are transitioning into a whole heap of trouble for Bonnie and co. I am excited to have you guys see it unfold. I really appreciate you all for supporting my story. I love reading your feedback. Thank you, thank you, thank you! **

**Part Ten **

Bonnie ends up standing in front of a place called _Jardin Gris_.

It looks like any other tourist trap from the street. There is garland, honeysuckle she thinks, strung along the window and voodoo dolls staring back at her. It is just witchy enough to pull in the curious - but she has a feeling there is more to this place than meets the eye. Considering she has always trusted her instinct in the past, she opens the door.

The smell of incense hits her, familiar and comforting. A smile plays on her lips as she steps inside and lets it engulf her. She misses this so much that she feels a physical ache as she moves into the middle of the room. All around her are tokens of her past - potion bottles, herbal mixtures, spell books. Some of it is fake; souvenirs for the tourists to take with them when they leave New Orleans. However, her keen eyes spot little things (the braided lemongrass hung over the door to help cleanse the air, the smile vials of purplish liquid that she knows is vervain) that tell her a _real witch_ holds court in the _Jardin Gris_.

She is about to get her first look.

The woman behind the counter is deep in conversation with a couple who obviously have embraced the adage _it's five o'clock somewhere_. Bonnie's hand moves sideways, brushing across a glass case containing a blade and landing on a book, some abridged version of New Orleans' history and she spends her time pretending to browse it as she spies on the exchange. The witch can't be any more than a few years older than her - mid-twenties at most. She's dressed for the part; a gown in earth tones reaches her feet and hangs loosely around her arms. There is a sash at her waist, a scarf in her hair and bracelets jangle around her wrists. She is the quintessential New Orleans witch but something tells Bonnie that much of it, just like much of what surrounds her, is for show.

The couple are talked into buying something that promises to_ enhance their mood_. Bonnie rolls her eyes as she flips the page. She turns her head slightly, catches the witch looking at her and then buries her head in the book. Moments later she hears the tinkle of the bell over the door. When she lowers the book she finds herself up close and personal with the owner. "Bonnie Bennett," the witch muses and Bonnie can hear some of that infamous New Orleans accent coming through. "I was hoping you'd wander into my little corner of the Quarter."

Bonnie raises a brow. "I am still getting used to the idea of every witch in this city knowing my name."

"Well, not _every_ witch," the other woman answers and smile plays on her lips. "But enough of us do. And truthfully, I didn't know who you were _exactly_. I've heard of the Bennetts of course. I've heard of you - hard not to know of the witch that nearly put Klaus Mikaelson down even if you've never laid eyes on her. Then today of all days, this stranger wanders in, traces her fingers across the athame like she knows it is just a trinket for the tourists and _pretends_ to read a book when she really wants to ask me some very important questions." She taps her temple with her index finger. "Call it _intuition_."

Bonnie sets the book back in its place and glances at the blade. She hadn't noticed before but the handle is plastic, the symbol a decal - it's clearly a replication. Perhaps that is why she had paid it so little attention. She looks back to her host. "I think it's only fair that I know your name since you clearly know mine."

"Enid." A hand is extended, accompanied by a clanking of metal as her bracelets slide down her arm. "Enid Lacour, owner of the _Jardin Gris_. Welcome."

Bonnie takes Enid's hand with her own. Her power is evident and she has a mischievous glint in her eyes as Bonnie pulls herself free. "Pleasure to meet you, Enid," she says, though she hasn't quite made up her mind if she is telling the truth yet. She'd like to get right down to business but she knows she can't. Davina's may be on a clock but Bonnie will not risk exposing too much information to Enid. Not until she is sure that Enid won't go running to track down Davina herself - or worse, call in the rest of her coven. "I figured it was time for me to get to know the witch community here. It seems like my vacation is stretching out longer than I thought it would so I may as well give into my curiosity."

"And _Sophie Deveraux_ can't answer all your questions?" Enid asks as she turns to fix an arrangement of candles. She leans down, purses her lips and blows. The wicks spark to life.

_Show off_, Bonnie thinks. "Sophie's told me plenty but…"

Enid holds up a hand. "Let's just lay it all out. Sophie's next exactly popular among these parts. I get it. _Both sides_ - and I am staying the hell out of it." She straightens to her full height yet again and Bonnie notes that Enid has an inch or two on her. "Witches around here are getting worried of course. Harvest deadline is closing in…" She tilts her head, eyes Bonnie thoughtfully. "Felt the Quarter grumble earlier and I just _knew_. Shame really...how this all played out."

"The _Harvest_," Bonnie repeats and she knows the interest she projects is real - she just hopes that Enid and her _intuition_ don't know why. "Sophie gave me the basics. I have to admit...that's a new one for me. I guess since I was mostly on my own there is a hell of a lot to learn about our community…"

Enid clicks her tongue. "Our community? You still think of yourself as that even though you're as powerless as that couple that just bumped their way out of here?" There is a flash of pain in Bonnie's eyes and sharp little Enid (who Bonnie decides she _doesn't_ like at the moment) picks up on it. "Now, now I don't mean to wound. I know it's touchy - I just meant you hold onto who you truly are even if something has warped you into what you don't want to be. A lot of folks would just give up, walk away. You're a witch at heart, Bonnie Bennett."

Well, now she _likes_ her (let's see how long this lasts).

"Yes," she says and once again her eyes sweep over the contents of the _Jardin Gris_. "And I _miss_ it."

"Of course you do," Enid says. "You lost a part of yourself - it's only natural to yearn for it."

Bonnie breathes deeply and then pushes the air out. She hopes the physical act of doing so will help soothe the ache (ever present but now intensified by this conversation). "Which is why I am here, surrounded by it and hoping to learn more." Perhaps she can return the focus to the Harvest, to trying to find as much as she can about it. She needs definitive proof that it will work as Sophie says it will. She cannot condone anyone being slaughtered for no other purpose than to gain power.

Enid nods. "I think I have a way for you to achieve such a goal." She turns, moving through the store until she disappears into the back. Bonnie waits, thinking that Enid will return with just the thing that Bonnie is looking for. Moments pass and there is no sign. Slightly annoyed (and perhaps back to disliking the other woman), Bonnie follows the path Enid has taken. She hesitates at the doorway (having been always taught to mind the _Employees Only_ sign) but then thinks of Davina, no doubt still regaining her wits back at the Abattoir, and enters.

And _here_ is the reason there is more than meets the eye at the _Jardin Gris_.

Unlike the storefront, with its carefully planned layout designed to ensnare the curious, the back is more chaotic, cluttered. There are piles of texts, some as old as the vampires who skulk in New Orleans' shadows. There are plants hanging from the ceiling, drying out no doubt. A mortar and pestle rest on a table and Bonnie can see that Enid has been creating bottles of herbs that don't appear on the shelves out front (she briefly wonders if they are for purchase by inquiry only). Though an overhead light leaves nothing in the dark, there are candles placed on free spaces. Each has a symbol carefully scribed in. Bonnie recognizes a few - peace, safety; the others pique her curiosity.

In the middle of the room Enid stands, carefully turning the pages of a book that has seen better days. She spares Bonnie a quick glance. "Thought you were going to dilly dally away the morning out there."

There is little use in pointing out that no invitation had been issued. Instead she presses her lips together to keep from losing her temper. She can tell by the contents of this room alone that she needs Enid. "This is quite a collection."

"Mmm_hmmm_. I inherited it from the previous owner, who inherited from the witch before that and so on." She closes the book and sets it carefully back where she found it (there seems to be no discernable order). Hands go to Enid's hips and she eyes the piles. Then she smiles and starts moving books aside from a rather tall stack. She runs her palm over a book in the middle and then turns with it in her hand to face Bonnie. "This should help you save Davina."

Bonnie's mouth opens slightly.

Enid just smiles and taps her temple again. "Intuition remember?"

Bonnie's fingers close around the book and she pulls it free from Enid's grasp. A quick glance confirms that it is a journal. The cover is faded and the binding looks ready to give. It's a priceless artifact and it currently jammed underneath a book on local fauna.

"Make yourself comfortable and read away. I've got customers who'll need tending too as soon as I tell them what ails them." She gives Bonnie a wink and then pushes past, leaving Bonnie standing alone in the room.

"I like her. She has spunk."

Bonnie starts, nearly tossing the book into the air. She spins and finds Kol tucked between two bookshelves. He is eyeing his surroundings with interest. "Bit messy though. Then again a good witch has little time for housekeeping."

"I'm putting a bell around your neck," Bonnie says evenly. Though he has a point about the mess. She resorts to carefully moving aside the herbs on the table so she can set the book down. She finds a chair under another stack of books (some of them grimoires that she itches to open). She knows Kol is watching her so after she sets the chair in front of the table she turns to him. "I hope you're here to tell me something useful and not to get under my skin again because my patience is pretty much non-existent at this point."

Kol pushes himself free from the wall, a grin covering his face. "I get under your skin?"

"Don't even pretend like that it is news to you," Bonnie retorts. "What did you find out?"

"Digging around the Other Side is proving to be difficult," Kol begins and she gives him a look. "Fine, _fine_, I'll skip my well-rehearsed preamble to tell you that things are quiet. _Too quiet_ - which tells me that this plan is far enough advanced that it does not need to be whispered in the shadows. I did manage to find some novice witch; burnt at the stake centuries ago, poor thing. She wasn't _entirely_ useless. She might not be from New Orleans but she has heard enough in her wanderings to confirm our suspicions - someone on the side of the living is using sacrificial magic to boost their power enough to break through to the Other Side. Apparently Marcel's vampires were the first ones that were actually discovered. Who knows? There might be a pile of hollowed vampire husks rotting away in the bayou somewhere."

"_Comforting_." Heavy sarcasm implied.

Kol sobers up a little. "Look, I wish I could tell you more. They are smart, these witches. They are covering their tracks."

"They probably know you are asking questions too," Bonnie says with a sigh and sinks into the chair. In front of her the book that may help determine Davina's fate seems to tease her. She wonders how long she can split her attention (the easy answer: not long enough). "Which means they'll be more careful. Sacrificial magic...that's no easy feat. Whoever we're looking for, he or she'll be older, more practiced. I can ask Sophie." She makes a face. "Maybe there is a witch roster she can give me a rundown of. We can narrow down the suspect list." Then what? Send the Mikaelson brothers after them? They will slaughter the witches without stopping to question whether or not they are truly involved.

Kol waits a beat. "I like your plan because it is better than _no_ plan." He raises a brow. "So why are you _not_ skipping off to see your new witchy best friend?"

"Davina," Bonnie answers quietly. "She's dying - I am just trying to figure out whether or not it will be a permanent one…"

Kol clearly knows better than to make some sarcastic remark. "The poor chit. She was cute; tiny."

"She's also _still alive_ at the moment," she says and turns in her chair. She takes a deep breath and opens the journal. Kol moves closer. "Don't even think you are going to read over my shoulder. You can go now." He doesn't budge and she looks up at him. "Kol?"

"I've spent the better part of the morning by myself," Kol admits. "I don't know about you, but that is about all the alone time I can take at the moment." He puts up his hands in surrender and takes a step back. "Look, I won't get in your way. You read your witchy memoirs. I'll busy myself...counting the number of bloody candles in this place. Fire hazard if I ever saw one."

Bonnie watches as he hops up on the edge of a shelf. His legs dangle and he averts his gaze. He is trying hard not to stand out and by doing so he _stands out_. She thinks over what he has said. _ Alone_; he's tired of being alone. She understands that and if she can help him from completely losing his mind then so be it (she'll leave the implication that he wants to spend time with her, even if it's just swinging his legs into thin air, alone for the time being; she has enough on her plate). "Fine," she says and tries to sound as if she is doing him a favor. He continues to let his eyes roam but he does smile. She buries her eyes in the book.

It takes her a few moments to adjust to the intricate loops of the author's writing. It looks beautiful but impractical in today's world. Within a few pages she realizes she is reading the thoughts of an elder in the French Quarter Coven, written just over three hundred years ago (somehow Enid knew _just_ what she has been looking for; there is something to that _intuition _of hers). _Heloise Montel_. For a while she reads the day to day routines of the Coven in a time when witches were respected and revered. She wonders what it must have been like to live when witches controlled New Orleans; when they were not used as tools and threatened into submission. For a moment, she loses herself in that thought.

Then reminds herself for the hundredth time what is at stake.

She begins to skim, moving through pages as a quickly as possible until finally she reads it: _The Harvest nears_. She is focused now, reading carefully as the Heloise laments the waning of her power. She and the others meet and discuss what must be done. She describes just what Sophie did the night at Rousseau's, only she is more businesslike about it. Four girls will be chosen; four girls will be sacrificed. Bonnie pulls back from the text for a moment to find that Kol has hopped off the shelf (funny she never heard him move; but then again she has been engrossed). He has his head tilted and he is examining the stacks of books. "You have _great admiration_ for witches…" She begins, thinking of their conversation in Jackson Square. He seems to flinch and she wonders (with a touch of glee) if she has caught him off guard for once. "Have you ever heard of the Harvest?"

"Crazy ritual in which they off some of their own to keep the ancestors smiling in their favor?" Kol asks. "Of course I've heard of it."

"Of course," she repeats as if it is the logical thing to say. "So, is it _real_?"

"Not sure really," he answers. "Apparently the witches here did it a few years before Klaus rowed us all across the Atlantic. I heard about it _after_ I woke from my extended nap. By then, all the witches that would have been directly involved were dead. But the rest swore by it - said it was their way to ensure that the French Quarter Coven would always reign supreme over the rest of the covens in New Orleans. Seems a bit..._barbaric _really."

"Says the vampire who has amassed a body count in the thousands," Bonnie says with a snort. "I just...I thought maybe because you ran with witches when you were alive and kicking you might have heard something. It would be nice to have an opinion from someone who wasn't a witch."

Kol has his finger on the spine of a book (she wonders if he can really feel it). He pauses and then turns his full attention to her. "Look, Bonnie, things as elaborate as that don't just spring from nothing." And that is all he has to say. He turns back to browsing and she begins to read again.

Bonnie is careful as she turns the fragile pages. She commits to memory bits and pieces. _My family has been honored; our eldest chosen to be a Harvest girl. My pride is evident_. These are not the words of a woman is worried that she will never see her daughter again. Later, Heloise talks of her daughter's commitment (_Helene has thrown herself into practicing; honing the gift that she has been given so she may return it the earth_). Bonnie wonders if she should read between the lines - Helene _knew _what was coming; Davina did not. Perhaps it is a difference in time, in expectations and in faith in the coven.

Finally she arrives at the Harvest.

The details leading up to the ritual are sparse. There is talk of ceremonial robes, crowns of carefully chosen flowers - each thing is mentioned as if it is a checklist and nothing more. As an elder, Heloise receives a front row seat (to her daughter's death). _Helene is the first, a representation of our bond with the earth. She stepped forward with her head high. I told her I loved her and then I ran the blade across her throat_.

She lets out an audible gasp.

"Bonnie?" In a blink he is close (_too _close).

She blinks and pushes away the book momentarily. "She killed her own daughter. She didn't even hesitate. She _slit_ her throat…"

"_Faith_," Kol reminds her.

She is still wide eyed as she turns back to the text. She finds herself rereading the same line repeatedly (_ran the blade across her throat_, _**ran the blade across her throat**_). She feels a hand on her shoulder and looks up. Kol is quick to pull back. "Faith," she says, and is determined to push past _that_ moment. She needs to be objective, see what else she can glean from this horrific event. She puts emotion aside - taking her lead from Heloise who succinctly ends the entry in which she describes her daughter's murder with: _It is done_.

The next few pages are rambling descriptions of power, of renewal - there are very few references to the dead girls (_objective_, she reminds herself). Finally, she locates that piece of hope. _I have my Helene home. She too has found strength in her sacrifice_. Bonnie's finger runs across the line. "Maybe it's true; maybe it works," she says quietly. She wants it to; she _needs_ it too.

"In truth, what does Davina have to lose by going through with it?" Kol asks. The urge to snap back dies quickly because he is right - if she is dead either way, why wouldn't they try the one thing that just may allow her to come back? Kol is better at being objective than she. "I wager it's worth a shot. If I was dying..._again_, I would want to try anything to avoid it. I doubt you'll be able to convince my brothers and that thick headed Marcel of that but you can go straight to the source."

"_Davina_," she breathes. She has to talk to Davina into letting someone end her life.

She is going to be sick.

Kol flicks the spine of a book with his index finger, the sound pinging in the cramped room. "_This_ one."

Bonnie's brows push together. "Huh?"

"I thought I might find it here after I realized this place is the dumping ground for journals, obscure manuals and _grimoires_." He smiles (it seems genuine instead of his usual sly grin). "This particular grimoire belonged to one of those witches I mentioned being fond of. She's a beauty - dark hair, eyes that could bring you to your knees...a _wicked_ tongue…"

"**Kol!**" She says it loud enough that she winces, afraid that Enid will have heard her from her post behind the counter.

"The point, Bonnie, is that she helped me. As you may know, I tend to forget the meaning of the world subtle at times…"

"At times?"

"Let's not quarrel over trivial things," Kol instructs. "Instead, let us focus on the task at hand." He seems pleased that he is the one scolding instead of her for a change. She resists the urge to roll her eyes. "As I was _saying_, this particular witch helped when I needed it. I had heard a rumor that my _darling_ brothers were not happy with my behavior…"

"_Shocker_,_" _she snorts and then presses her lips together when he gives her a look.

"She weaved a nice little spell that cloaked my location long enough for cooler heads to prevail. I avoided the coffin for a while longer." A wistful smile crosses his face. "She was a clever one, that witch. A member of the Treme Coven and let me tell - Treme witches are fierce warrior. At that time, the Treme and the French Quarter Coven were butting heads. Things were escalating and things started happening: mysterious fires, altars being destroyed, low level witch vandalism. She was determined to find the culprit so she cooked up a locator spell. Not on the witch, since she didn't know who it was, but on their signature - everyone has their own; kind of like a thumb print. That way the next time this particular witch decided to mess with Treme property, they would know exactly where he or she was as it was happening."

"Clever…" Bonnie says, dragging out the word as she tries to figure out why Kol has told her this story (other than to brag about finding himself _up close and personal_ with a witch). Then it hits her. "Oh my God! We can do that. We can put a trace on the signature of the witch doing the sacrificial magic."

"Now you get it." He nods his head toward the grimoire again. "You just need this."

Bonnie stands, moving automatically to pull the book from its perch. She almost has her fingers around the spine before she stops. Kol raises a brow. "It's not mine," she says quietly as she turns her head to look at the doorway to the front.

"It's not _hers_ either," Kol mutters. "And I doubt the lady of the house is going to want to hand over a book that could potentially damn one of her coven and help the vampire overlords who have been oppressing them…" He smiles as she raises her hand again. "If your conscious is giving you too much hell you can always return it when we're done."

He feels like the devil on her shoulder at the moment but she can't deny that he has a point. Asking Enid might be akin to tipping off the person they are looking for. She sighs and then pulls the book free from the shelf. She tells herself that guilty feeling will dissipate when they finally know who their mysterious witch is. "How am I going to sneak this out of here?"

"You could always stuff it down the back of your pants - a loose fitting top like that will cover the obvious bump," Kol suggests.

She gives him a look of disbelief. "Let me guess, you also pickpocketed in your day."

No answer on his part - just a playful raise of his brows.

Turns out she doesn't have to be that sneaky.

Enid is engrossed in conversation with an elderly woman when Bonnie sticks her head out and just her luck, Enid's back is turned. Bonnie tucks the grimoire under her arm, thankful for the long cardigan she had thrown on when she woke up. She uses the stores shelves to her advantage, weaving through them so nothing but her head is visible. Enid only sees her when she is almost at the door. "Leaving?"

"Yes," Bonnie says as she curls her body instinctively away.

"At least pretend like you haven't stolen the last cookie from the jar," Kol mutters sarcastically and she realizes he is right behind her.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Enid asks. Thankfully, she doesn't move too far from her current customer.

"I did, actually. I appreciate your help. I'll be by again." And then because she is worried that she looks just as Kol has described her, she smiles (or attempts to).

Enid smiles back.

**X**

"I am going to a special circle of hell for this," Bonnie says as soon as they are far enough away from the _Jardin Gris_.

"Says the immortal anchor," Kol chirps beside her.

"You know what I mean." She glances over her shoulder almost as if she expects to find Enid standing there.

"Lighten up on the whole _I betrayed my witch sisterhood_ vibe, Bonnie," Kol commands. "For all you know you could have _stolen _the grimoire out from underneath the nose of the witch very witch we are trying to find."

"It's not her," Bonnie says immediately.

"And you are basing this on what exactly?" Kol asks.

"Instinct. I just _know_," Bonnie tells him. She finally uses both hands to hold the grimoire, pressing it to her chest.

"Wonderful." There is a high level of sarcasm in his voice. "We shall just line up all the witches of New Orleans and have them submit to the Bonnie Bennett sniff test."

She doesn't even dignify that with an answer. Instead she stops dead in her tracks, and turns her head from left to right. Kol watches her for a beat or two then asks the obvious question. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to get my bearings. Where is Rousseau's from here?" It had been dark when Rebekah had led her there and now she sees nothing that is familiar. "Left or right?"

"Straight ahead," Kol answers and Bonnie wastes no time starting off in that direction. "Wee bit peckish?"

"We need a witch to perform the spell. They have one in the kitchen," Bonnie reminds him. She doubts that Sophie will agree right away to help but Bonnie has gotten this far despite all the odds; she's not giving up now.

They walk another block before Bonnie discovers landmarks she has laid eyes on before. Soon she sees the sign. She is mindful of the time, picking up her pace. If she can avoid a confrontation with Klaus she will chalk up a win for the day (she needs one desperately). When she opens the door to Rousseau's she finds it nearly empty save for one or two customers scattered throughout and the blonde (_Cami, right?_) behind the bar. She smiles at the blonde. "Sophie in?"

"Yes, came in about twenty minutes ago. Finally. Thought I was going to have to cook myself," Cami states and then shakes her head. "Talk about a potential disaster."

"I am sure it wouldn't be that bad," Bonnie assures her. "I need to see…"

"Go on in. I am far from the boss of this place," Cami says with a wave of her hand.

Bonnie finds Sophie much the same way she found her during her first visit to Rousseau's; bent over the prep table, engrossed in work. She clears her throat and Sophie looks up immediately. Her eyes widened. "Davina?"

She realizes it is easy for Sophie to assume the worst. After all, she has shown up mere hours after Sophie made the fatal diagnosis. "She woke up," Bonnie begins, wanting to dispel any fear the other witch may be feeling. "Like you said she would - and accompanied by…"

"The earth shaking," Sophie finishes, her mouth set in a grim line.

Bonnie nods. "She seemed to be like herself. Marcel no doubt believes that you were just trying to scare him into handing her over. He can't see that she's dying."

"He couldn't. He loves her - in his own way. He has this thing with kids. He doesn't want them hurt," Sophie explains.

"But adults are fair game," Bonnie adds. She wonders at what age someone officially becomes an enemy to him. She glances down at the grimoire, still clutched to her chest.

It is natural for Sophie to follow her line of sight. She raises a brow. "Where did you get that?"

"I…uh, _borrowed it_," Bonnie answers and behind her Kol snorts, reminding her that she still has her tail.

"_Borrowed_," Sophie repeats. "Look, the less I know about where you got that the better. Though, I would imagine you want to tell me _why_ you have it."

She nods and there is a quick glance at Kol, who gestures for her to move forward. She knows Sophie is wondering just what she is looking at but now is not the time for a detailed explanation. "This grimoire has a spell in it that I am going to need for you to perform," Bonnie begins. She can see the fight spring to Sophie's eyes automatically. "I know, I know - I hate asking this of you, especially since your magic is slipping between your fingers but it's important I swear. Those bodies, the sacrificial magic used to kill them…it's all linked to something _horrific_." Though she mentally conceded that the definition of 'horrific' would depend on who is asked. "I wouldn't ask this of you if I didn't really need it done."

Sophie wipes her hands on her pants. She seems reluctant but she moves to rest against the counter. "Let's see it."

It takes her a minute of fumbling through pages (and wondering if Kol has been wrong about the ownership of this particular grimoire) to find the spell in question. Bonnie sets it in front of Sophie. For a moment she is completely quiet, stepping back to let Sophie examine the spell. Sophie sighs a moment later. "It's clever, very clever. But it will take a considerable amount of power to pull it off."

This is when the guilt kicks into overdrive. Bonnie presses her lips together, and for a moment is tempted to snatch the book away from her and tell her to forget it. However, she knows it is important. "Would it help if you channel something?" She asks.

Sophie closes her eyes and nods. "Now why didn't I think of that?" She closes the grimoire and turns her body toward Bonnie. "Look, I'll do it. Only because _you_ asked me to." There is a pause. "And I am not going to lie - I am hoping that you will help me in return."

"I know," Bonnie says with a nod. "And I know what you want help with. I understand, Sophie." More than ever thanks to the personal recount of one Heloise Montel and a boost of logic courtesy of Kol. "In the end, I want to do right by Davina. You work on making this spell a reality and I'll talk to Davina. I don't want her to be dragged kicking and screaming into this. It's not fair to her and being a part of all of this has already dealt her one hell of a hand." She presses her lips together, laying her condition for helping Sophie on the table between them. "She has to choose, Sophie."

Before times runs out.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: I just wanted to make sure that everyone is on the same page - this really isn't a romance story. Yes there is romance in the works, yes there are romantic undertones but it doesn't drive the story. This is the story of Bonnie trying to navigate the crazy world of New Orleans - if she happens to find some love along the way then so be it ;) I hope there haven't been any misunderstandings. **

**Participating in NaNoWriMo was definitely an interesting experience. Although I did not meet the overall word count goal I did work on this story every day in the month of November and I am proud of that fact. I am also very thankful for all the continued support that I receive from my readers! Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy where this story goes! **

**Part Eleven **

Kol is still on her heels as she returns to the compound.

Bonnie has a sick feeling in her stomach. She knows that she will have to speak to Davina right away. She has a feeling that the first conversation will fall on deaf ears. The idea of placing Davina's fate back in the hands of the French Quarter Coven is something that Bonnie will have to slowly work towards.

She wishes there was some other way.

"I don't know if I can survive another round of your family," she tells Kol quietly as she places a hand on the door to the Abattoir. "I don't know how you did it for centuries. They exhaust me."

"They exhaust me as well - hence my frequent naps," Kol says and raises both his brows. "In truth, we were not together the entire time. I found ways to wander on my own. I always came back in the end." He seems more serious when he speaks again. "I guess I clung to the idea that we could be a family. A true one. Silly notion given the many moods of my bastard brother."

She feels sorry for him - she might not have a week ago. She blames it solely on the fact that she has spent far too much time with Klaus and Elijah in the past few days. In comparison to them, Kol wins. Her hand moves to his upper arm before she can even stop herself. "It's not silly to want to be a part of a family, Kol." She should say more but he is looking at her fingers curled around his arm. She does too and then she lets her hand drop. "Just give me some tips on how to deal with them when they are being…_themselves_."

"Afraid I can't help you there, little witch. I usually threw a punch. You're far too tiny to do any real damage. You're better off using that tongue of yours. I am sure you could deal a fatal blow in that manner," Kol states with a smile.

Bonnie isn't sure that is a compliment or an insult. She doesn't bother to find out. Instead she pulls open the door, grateful that it isn't the supper hour yet. She won't have to test out her 'secret weapon' on Klaus. Still, she takes a deep breath as she walks into the courtyard and finds it empty.

_Oh thank God_.

She'll take the solitude (minus her ghostly companion) for the moment. "When this is finally all said and done," she says quietly as she closes her eyes. "I am going on a real vacation. Europe - I have always wanted to go to Rome. I'd visit the colosseum and eat gelato." A pipe dream she knows. When she is finally free from this hell, she has the life of a college student, friend and girlfriend to return to (though she is in danger of losing any one or all of those things the longer she stays here). "And I am going to find a way to make your brother pay for all of it."

"I should like to see that." Kol laughs and a moment later she does too.

"Bonnie!"

Thus ends her moment of peace.

She turns to look up at the balcony. Rebekah is rapidly descending the stairs. "Is it true? Davina will not make it?"

Bonnie nods slowly. "She has too much magic to contain at this point."

Rebekah shakes her head. "_Damn_. I was rooting for her. I always did enjoy a story where the girl kicked the boy's ass." She crosses her arms over her chest. "She sent Nik flying from the second floor into the courtyard her first night here. I knew I liked her from that very moment."

Good - if Rebekah is on Davina's side, she can help circumvent the opinions of the others. Bonnie needs all the allies she can at this point. "So," she begins. "You and Marcel…" She trails off.

Rebekah raises both brows. "Marcel and I…?"

"Oh come on," Bonnie says and then gives Rebekah a look. "You know damn well what I am trying to ask."

"If you are after the long and twisted romantic history of Marcel Gerard and Rebekah Mikaelson, you will not get it. At least not from me. And if Marcel has any sense left in him he will keep his bloody mouth shut as well," Rebekah states firmly.

She doesn't need to say anymore really. That sentence tells Bonnie everything she needs to know. Elena once told her that Rebekah wears her heart on her sleeve and she is doing it now. She has adopted a classic defensive pose so Bonnie knows not to push her luck. But _still_. "Look, what you and Marcel do or do not feel for one another is none of my business. I just know that as things get worse, Marcel is not going to react well. He is going to need someone to stop him from acting irrational. Someone to comfort him…"

"Clever girl," Kol comments though of course Bonnie is the only one to hear him (and that is definitely a compliment).

"Are you asking me to be that someone, Bonnie Bennett?"

"I guess I am." Bonnie nods. She knows that underneath Rebekah's hardened exterior is someone with the capacity to care deeply. Even if Marcel is the past in her eyes, she will not want to see him hurting.

Rebekah pauses, no doubt wanting Bonnie to think she is mulling over the ideas instead of already on board. "I will do my best - but I make no promises."

That is more than she had an hour ago.

Bonnie smiles. It fades seconds later when she spots a familiar figure _lounging _against one of the pillars.

"I see our guest kept to her curfew," Klaus states as he enters the courtyard. Rebekah rolls her eyes. Bonnie wishes she had the same luxury. "Did you find your time away fruitful?"

"I did," she answered in a sickly sweet tone. She glances over her shoulder in Kol's general direction, wondering if she should employ that _weapon_ of hers. He looks amused by the prospect. "I think it proves that I can handle other such outings."

Klaus narrows his eyes. "We shall take that on a case by case basis." Of course he would say something ridiculous such as that. "Tell me, have you made any headway on the otherworldly army that is working to bring me down." He sounds so flippant still about the entire thing.

Behind her Kol mutters under his breath, his tone clearly indicating that he has had enough of his brother's denials. Bonnie has too. "As a matter of fact, I think I have found a way to narrow down a suspect list."

"Explain," Klaus orders.

She bulks at the idea. "It's witchy in nature. You wouldn't understand."

Klaus steps forward and before she can take an instinctive step back he is the only thing she can see. He leans down. "_Try me_. You will find that I am a fast learner."

"Little witch," Kol says and there is a softness to his voice that she does not expect. She turns her heard abruptly to look at him. "As much as I would like nothing more than to let you tear my brother to pieces metaphorically _we have company_."

Bonnie pushes her eyebrows together; her confusion is evident. In front of her Klaus stands, clearly still ready to fight (and perhaps even angered that it has been interrupted). Only Rebekah follows her line of sight and Bonnie thinks that the blonde vampire may understand just _what it is _she is looking at (for there is a hitch in Rebekah's breathing).

_Finally_, she sees it. Or _him_. He is standing in the shadows of the courtyard watching the events play out. There seems to be a look of grim satisfaction on the strangers face as he steps forward, clearly honed in on her.

She gets it. She knows why he is here.

Bonnie's eyes widen and she looks back to the two live Mikaelson siblings. She wishes they were not here to witness this. Then she takes a deep breath, bracing herself. The newly deceased comes to stop just inches from her.

"Funny I should find you here of all places," he begins. Bonnie is quick to run her eyes over him, knowing instinctively that she will need to remember his face. Add to that, she is looking for any visible sign of injury. She wants to know what she is in for. He is young; handsome (the kind of man she gives second glances too). He is still smiling as he looks to Klaus. "I will _gladly _die to ensure that he gets just what he deserves."

Bonnie doesn't like this. Usually when the dead come to her, they are sad, angry, confused - he is positively gleeful. Meaning he walked to his death freely. Nothing good will come of this moment.

"Bonnie?" Kol says it first but Rebekah echoes it seconds later.

She stays focused on the dead man. "There is nothing honorable about what you have done."

He laughs. "The words of a witch who betrayed her kind by siding with the monsters," he spits back. He's a witch; she is certain. The way he looks at her (like she is worth nothing) makes her want to sink into the ground beneath her feet. Then she shakes it off and tilts her head back in defiance. He mirrors her movement and she can see it now: a clean slice across his neck, a gaping wound that still bleeds. He smiles as she gasps. Before she can right herself, he has his hands on her shoulder.

The pain comes fast - a white hot sensation swipes across her neck and she chokes as if the blood actually fills her airway. Within seconds, she can barely breathe and she topples sideways onto the ground. She hears Rebekah's shout of surprise as she battles back against the pain. She reminds herself that it is only temporary. It will pass and she will be back to sparing with Klaus. While she waits, she closes her eyes.

Just as quickly as the pain comes on, it begins to fade. He cheek is pressed against the cold stone of the courtyard. When she opens her eyes she sees two sets of feet in close proximity. It takes her a second to realize that Kol has taken a hold of his newest companion on the Other Side. It seems ludicrous that the pair fights while Kol's siblings stand there looking bewildered at the proceedings.

"Who the hell are you?" Kol asks between clenched teeth. His has his fingers curled into the lapel of the other man. Bonnie realizes the witch isn't even bothering to fight back. He almost looks amused by the entire thing. "Who started all this?"

"Why would I tell you?" The witch finally says. He digs his heels into the ground to steady himself and then throws off Kol's weight. He spares Bonnie one more glance and then fades from sight as Kol lunges for him again.

"Dammit!" Kol's voice echoes through her ears.

Bonnie places her hands on the stones beneath her. She is about to push herself up when a hand appears in her line of vision. She looks up. Klaus towers over her. She finds his expression nearly impossible to read. For a split second she considers swatting his hand away but she is too worn down to refuse the help. She places her hand in his and he pulls her upright. She is still a bit wobbly and it surprises her that he doesn't let go right away. Instead he eyes her as if she is some rare creature that he has never come across before.

(she supposes she is)

"Will someone tell me what the bloody hell just happened?" Rebekah demands. She is far from angry however. Instead she looks frightened (_strange_).

"A man died; a witch," Bonnie explains. She finally takes a step back from Klaus. Kol is still seething from the loss of someone who may have given them answers. "And they needed to cross over." She takes a shaky breath, followed by another - she repeats the process until she feels more like herself. She wishes this had happened in the sanctuary of her room. She feels a bit like a spectacle with the pair of them staring at her. Finally she cannot stand it any longer. She looks at Klaus, the easier target in her mind and takes aim. "_There_ - you've seen it. You've seen what happens to me when someone crosses over. I hope you enjoyed that." If she can help it there will be no repeat performance. Klaus says nothing and it irks her that he won't raise to the occasion. She needs something more familiar - a witty quick comment that will make her want to spit fire or grin in amusement. _Something_.

Feeling defeated, she turns her head toward the balcony. "I am going to check on Davina." She doesn't wait to be dismissed; she leaves them standing there.

**X**

Bonnie finds Davina back in her own room.

She isn't in bed. Instead Davina stands at the window overlooking the street below. She looks pale but infinitely better than she did when Bonnie left. The younger witch turns when she hears Bonnie at the door. There is a trace of a smile on her face. "Hello."

"Davina," Bonnie says as she enters the room. "How do you feel?"

"Better," she admits. "But still - it's like everything is all churned up inside of me." She pauses, presses her lips together. Her head dips a little and then it is almost as if she forces herself to look back to Bonnie. "This is my new normal huh? This is what it is going to be like _until_…"

_She knows_, Bonnie realizes. She knows she is going to die. It saves her from breaking the news to Davina but still, Bonnie is not comforted by that. What must it feel like to stand there watching the world go by below and know that you're not going to be in it much longer? The back of her throat burns and she realizes that she would like nothing more than to sit down and cry. She can't though. Not now. Davina needs her to be the stronger one in the room. So she nods, and moves to stand next to the younger witch. They stand in silence for a few moments. Bonnie's mind is racing on how to steer the conversation towards the Harvest. She doesn't want it to be obvious; like that is the only reason she has come to see Davina. She wants it to be a natural progression of the conversation - a hard feat considering neither of them is talking.

So she makes the first move.

"Are you afraid?" It wasn't meant to be her first words or even something she planned to say at all but she can't stop herself. Maybe she is thinking of the circumstances surrounding her own death. Those final seconds when she realized what was going to happen - she didn't have time to be scared. Davina does. Davina's eyes widen slightly and Bonnie feels guilty to even have asked her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…"

"No, it's okay," Davina says quickly. "You're treating me like I want you to. Like I want _everyone_ to. I'm _dying_, Bonnie. There's nothing that can be done. You get it. You don't tip toe around it. Marcel…"

"…loves you," Bonnie finishes. By saying it aloud, she finally believes it.

"He does," Davina agrees with a nod of her head. "He saved me that night. I watched the witches of my coven, the ones who told me I was strong and noble for what I was about to do, _murder_ my friends. I didn't want to be next - he pulled me out of there. I know that it gets complicated from there. I know he took advantage of me in a way. But that doesn't change the fact that he loves me. He looks at me without the ability to acknowledge the truth and I am worried that when I'm gone…"

Bonnie's worried too, which is why she hopes Rebekah keeps to her promise. "Those that care about him will _take care _of him - just as he takes care of you."

Davina smiles a little at the thought. "You know it's funny. You wandering into all of this. I knew who you were the moment you said your name. Witches talk. Before any of this happened, when Marcel was more concerned with keeping the witches under this thumb there was talk of what we could do to fight back. The elders said your name, Bonnie…"

Bonnie's brows push together. She is doesn't know whether to be flattered or worried that the witches of the French Quarter Coven were thinking of her as a possible solution. "Because I went up against Klaus?" She asks.

Davina nods. "They thought if you could do that and come so close to winning, then surely you could help us get rid of Marcel. I am glad they didn't call you. No offense but given how everything worked out…"

"I couldn't have helped them anyway," Bonnie states and then nearly laughs. "I was dead." She still is in a way but she'll take whatever footing on the land of the living she can get. Davina has fallen silent again, staring at nothing in particular. "Davina?"

"What's it like?" Davina asks. "Being dead."

Bonnie realizes she would rather be anywhere but here right now. She is fighting against her rising emotions to stay strong and she is losing. Bonnie knows Davina is looking for a bit of comfort in her answer, no matter how much she insists that she doesn't want to be coddled. "It's…not easy," she begins, trying to digest months' worth of wandering the Other Side in a span of seconds so she can give Davina an honest picture while at the same time shielding her from the full brunt of it. "You're alone. Or I was. I'd see others from time to time but mostly I was alone. It's hard…watching the rest of the world move on. I thought it wouldn't be really. I wanted to see my friends happy and living their lives. By doing that, I realized what I was missing. So while I was comforted to see them smile and laugh, I also was saddened that I couldn't be there with them." She swallows hard before she continues. That burning sensation has moves to behind her eyes. She _can't_ - not right now. "It might be different for you. You'll be with your ancestors, right?"

"I don't want to be," Davina spits. "I would rather be _alone_."

It takes Bonnie a beat or two to fully understand Davina's answer (though it shouldn't have). "Because of what they did to you." Davina nods. Bonnie wonders if this is her moment; a chance to slip in the idea that there is a chance to she doesn't have to choose between an eternity alone and an eternity with those who wronged her. Maybe not - but she doesn't exactly have a lot of opportunities. She braces herself, knowing that this might not end well. "You don't have to end up like me…"

Davina's reaction is immediate. Her body jerks, as if she is surprised to hear that such an option exists. Her head turns and she looks at Bonnie quizzically (there is suspicion there as well; Bonnie wonders if Marcel has told her Sophie had been by earlier). "Bonnie?"

"Please, before you react just _listen_. Please," Bonnie pleads and Davina tenses. This is going over just as she has predicted it would. "I wouldn't say any of this if I didn't think it was the right thing to say…"

"You want me to go through with the Harvest," Davina says and there is no warmth to her voice. No _anything _- she sounds empty.

"Not because of the witches of the French Quarter. I have no agenda here, Davina. Well, I do but it has everything to do with you," she says quietly. "I just want you to have a chance. You don't have to die. Or…you don't have to stay dead."

Davina shakes her head. "I can't believe you would even think I would want anything to do with them. They tricked me, they _used_ me…" There is emotion now: rage. It is bubbling up fast and Bonnie winces knowing it is directed at her. "I won't let them_ kill_ me."

"But you can come back," Bonnie says. "I know you don't believe. I get why you don't. But I do. There's a journal…"

"Get out," Davina says abruptly. "_Get out."_ Bonnie doesn't budge; she doesn't want to leave things like this. "_**GET OUT**__." _Davina's voice is shrill and it echoes through the room. It is followed swiftly but a gust of wind that slams all the shutters together.

Bonnie's eyes widen. Davina can't afford to use any magic right now. She won't be the reason she does. "Okay," she states. "Just be careful." She turns on her heels and moves towards the door. She has barely left when the door slams. She knows Davina did not do that manually. Her mouth is pressed into a thin line. She wants nothing more than to retreat to the relative safety of her room but she does not even get to take five steps.

Marcel is standing in her path. "What did you say to her?"

"Something she didn't want to hear," Bonnie says. There is no reason to deny it - Davina will tell him everything before long.

"Bonnie Bennett, who nearly took down a Mikaelson, siding with the witches," Marcel snarls and Bonnie wonders what he would say if he knew a witch had accused her of the opposite not even twenty minutes ago. "_Big surprise_."

"I'm on Davina's side," she states firmly. Like hell will she let anyone think otherwise. She knows that she hasn't been here long enough to truly be seen an ally in all of this but she will vehemently protest the opposite.

Marcel takes a step towards her and for a moment she thinks his temper will consume him. However a familiar blonde steps between them in the time it takes Bonnie to blink. "Rebekah…"

"Marcel," Rebekah echoes. "You will do Davina no good in attacking Bonnie."

"Maybe not…"

"Then why bother?" She interrupts before he can add a caveat to that statement. "Davina needs you at the moment. Go to her instead." She does not budge, shielding Bonnie from Marcel's misplaced wrath. The two vampires stare one another down before Marcel finally concedes. He is knocking at Davina's door seconds later.

Bonnie is quick to make a retreat, heading down the length of the balcony to her room. Rebekah is on her heels. Bonnie stops to turn and face her. "Thank you."

"Oh no need to thank me, love," Rebekah quips. "But do try and avoid provoking Marcel in the future. There are only so many times I can bat my eyelashes at him before he decides he would rather lash out at you instead. You _hurt_ Davina."

There is that guilt again. "Not on purpose," Bonnie says, automatically going on the defense.

"I am not sure that makes any difference to Marcel," Rebekah points out. "I doubt you had any malicious intent. I intervened because Marcel needs to spend what time he can with her." She pauses. "And…because you have been through the ringer today. Is it always like that?"

Bonnie knows Rebekah is referring to what she witnessed in the courtyard. She nods.

"Not exactly an ideal existence," Rebekah comments.

"But it is an existence," Bonnie counters. She does not know why she feels the need to defend what happens to her. It occurs to her that maybe she isn't - maybe she is just trying to remind herself that she has some sort of life instead of none at all. "No matter why you did it, I appreciate it, Rebekah. You're right - it's been a long day." And it is not even over yet. "So if you don't mind…"

"Quiet time," Rebekah finishes. "Not at all."

Bonnie manages a smile and then disappears into the relative sanctuary of her room. It has been tidied since Davina's episode earlier in the day. There are no traces of the dirt, the broken egg - she even has new sheets. Bonnie wonders how long someone waited after Davina woke. It wouldn't surprise her to learn that compelled human vacuumed around the poor girl. Still, despite that, Bonnie appreciates the fresh look to her surroundings. She slips out of her shoes and moves instinctively towards the bed. She doubts she will get any sleep but it will feel good to just _lie_ there. The pillow is pulled against her chest and she takes a deep breath.

He's there, she knows it.

"Kol," she mumbles, her voice buffered by the pillow. "You're not going to scare me this time."

"I wasn't planning to do so," he states. She doesn't move her head, knowing from the sound of his voice alone that he is on the other side of the bed. This is becoming a little two familiar - both of them stretched together.

"Then what were you planning on doing? Because if it is to deliver a snide remark, kindly wander off into the abyss," she cautions him. She does not want to be reminded where things stand with Davina at the moment (as if she can forget anyway).

"_Ouch_," Kol shoots back. "And no, it is not. It would be very easy to issue one given the current state of things but I am refraining from doing so. Honestly, you jump to conclusions very easily, little witch."

"It's my defense mechanism," she tells him. It is meant to be a snide remark of her own but instead it comes out as an earnest confession.

Kol says nothing further in that regard. Instead the pair lapse into silence. Bonnie thinks that maybe she _will_ sleep after all. Her eyes close and she concentrates on the sound of her own breathing.

Of course he can't leave her in peace.

"I heard what you said to her." Her body jolts when he speaks. Her eyes fly open and she is looking over her shoulder to find him looking back at her. "To Davina. I was eavesdropping in the corner. Sorry, rather rude of me but I told you earlier, I have been alone far too much as of late so I didn't feel like wandering off to allow you to have some girl time." She narrows her eyes and he holds up his hands in his defense. "Before you decide I am a horrible creature…"

"B_efore I decide_?" Bonnie questions.

"Do not be cross with me. At least not until you hear me out," Kol instructs. "I want you to know that I think you did what you thought was best. You know what is at stake here. You know that Davina needs time to wrap her head around the idea - and you know that time is short. You couldn't have waited nor could you have danced around the truth of the matter. She knows now. She knows that you, someone she has come to instinctively admire, believes in the Harvest. She may be angry but I suspect that will be only temporary. Take heart, Bonnie - you are not a horrible creature."

Bonnie looks at him as if she is wondering just who he is. "You could have kept that to yourself."

"I could have," Kol confirms.

"I'm glad you didn't."

**X**

The wind picks up through the night.

She is dead asleep when it starts, having barely survived the dinner hour. She hadn't been allowed to take her meal in her room - Klaus had insisted she join them at the table. Even though she knew it was a disaster in the making, she had given into his demand if only to avoid further confrontation. What followed had been a solid hour of chewing food and small talk. Bonnie gives Rebekah credit; she clearly is the glue that keeps the brothers from dissolving into full on war. But even she could not save the meal. In the end, Bonnie had been grateful to return to her room.

She had almost expected to find Kol waiting for her (he declined sitting in on the family dinner; which in retrospect had been a wise decision). When she had found the room empty, she had to admit - disappointment crept in.

So she slept.

_Til now. _

Bonnie jolts awake in her bed and is in a seated position before she even realizes that she has opened her eyes. She draws in a shaky breath and hones her senses on her surroundings. Her room is cloaked in darkness and it takes her a moment for her eyes to adjust. She is alone (or at least she thinks she is alone).

So why is she awake?

She frowns thinking that perhaps the past few days have finally taken their toll and she is going to spend the rest of the night caught fitfully between sleep and wakefulness (she'll be a joy in the morning).

But then she realizes - the _wind_.

The compound rocks once more. She throws back her covers and stands. All around her the walls seems to breathe; shudder as the force of the wind moves through the rooms seeking an escape. She is barefoot and wearing only shorts and tank top when she tries to pull open her door. She fights against a gale. She has to brace herself and put her all into it. When she finally manages to pull it free, the door is ripped from her hands and slams against the wall with great force. She staggers back as her room becomes a new target for the windstorm. She manages to stay on her feet and battle back until she can stumble onto the balcony.

The sight before her is _chaotic._

The wind has not been kind to the courtyard. The furniture has toppled over - some it forced hard against the stone walls and shattered beyond repair. The delicate blossoms that frame it have been stripped bare; the petals drift around in the air in a way that is almost hypnotic.

Bonnie struggles to turn her head because she knows the source: _Davina_.

She presses against the wall to inch her way towards the witch's room. Her progress is slow but thankfully the others are emerging. They look just as bewildered as Bonnie feels but are infinitely better at moving towards the source. She spots Rebekah in front of her bedroom door one moment and in front of Davina's the next. "Rebekah!" Bonnie's voice almost dies in the noise but vampires have been blessed in that regard. The blonde turns her head and sees the look of desperation on Bonnie's face. Within seconds, Bonnie feels Rebekah's fingers curl around her arm and she is yanked into the wind.

They find Davina in the middle of her room - at least four feet off the floor, with her head snapped back and her arms spread out. All around her the contents of the room shift, slamming against one another. Bonnie's mouth falls open and for a brief moment she wonders if she has brought this on.

But then she remembers it has always going to happen.

She has both hands wrapped around the door frame and she uses that grip to pull herself into the room. She is immediately slammed into the wall. Rebekah is beside her. She can see the rest - Elijah, Klaus, Marcel (who looks _horrified_) enter. She can barely make out what is being said though it is obvious to her that they are trying to figure out what can be done.

"Hold onto me," Bonnie instructs to Rebekah. She extends her hand which Rebekah takes. She is able to use the Original's strength to inch her way towards Davina. She can see that Davina's eyes are open but unlike her encounter with earth, she seems present. They move around wildly and Bonnie can see the fear in them. "I know you're trying, Davina. I know you want to control it. You can't. You just have to let it out…"

Marcel is beside her. He looks to her; almost helpless before he does what Bonnie supposes only comes natural to him. He wraps his arms around Davina's waist, pulling her towards him and giving her the sensation of being grounded. Bonnie can hear him, but only just. He is telling her that he is there; that he will always be there and then he tells her just what Bonnie did. "_Let it out_…"

The room quiets.

Davina collapses into Marcel's arms and together they fall onto the floor.

The rest are left to stand in various states of shock as Davina's belonging finally stop their mid-air dance and fall to the floor.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: One more for 2015! I realized today that next month marks two years since I started this story. I am not sure if that is a good thing (in that I have remained committed to it for this long) or a bad thing (in that I sometimes move at a glacial pace). I want to thank you all for your support with this story in the past year. All your feedback has kept me going! I hope you enjoy this installment (it ended up longer than I had first imagined). **

**Excerpts of Elijah's journal appear in this section. They are taken word for word from his narration in Season One of the The Originals. They have been transcribed on the TVD wiki page on Elijah's journals and it was there that I found them. **

**Part Twelve **

Bonnie receives a text from Sophie the next morning.

She is bleary eyed when she reaches for her phone; sleep has proved elusive after everything that has happened with Davina. She manages to focus her attention long enough to read.

_We need to meet_.

Bonnie cannot agree more. She knows better than to invite Sophie to the Abattoir so she'll go to her instead. Besides, she barely picked over her food the night before. She isn't particularly hungry but she needs something in her stomach. She asks Sophie to pick out some quiet café where they can speak (and she can sink her teeth into an omelette).

Twenty minutes later she is showered, dressed and armed with an address. She doesn't anticipate any resistance to her walking out the front door. The Mikaelson's spent what had been left of the night deep in discussion. They are probably still trying to wrap their head around what their next move should be - and they will come up with nothing.

But _nothing_ can be done save the one thing that Davina _has_ to agree to (Bonnie will not let her be dragged to the altar like a lamb to the slaughter).

She has to sidestep the debris in the courtyard. It will take some considerable time to restore it to its original state. She kind of likes that - they cannot hide the chaos that goes on inside this place from others for the moment. She is almost free from it, almost feels the warmth of the sun on her face when she hears Elijah's voice. She turns to find him standing at the base of the staircase. "What?"

"I do hope you managed to get a little sleep," Elijah says as he runs his finger down a length of the railing. He obviously does not like what he finds there for seconds later he is making a face. Add that to the list of improvements the courtyard will be receiving over the next few days.

"You know I didn't," Bonnie states, her tone even to show her displeasure at being held up. "Because you didn't. None of us did except for Davina who couldn't help herself." She is probably still sleeping soundly, trying to recover what strength she can. "I have to go. I'm meeting Sophie."

"More talk of the Harvest?" Elijah inquires. He too steps over the same shards of wood that nearly tripped Bonnie up. He comes to a stop at a respectable distance.

"Actually no," Bonnie answers. "At least not entirely. We're meeting for a different reason." She debates how much to tell Elijah and then thinks it is best to leave him with something. If not, she fears he might insist (a little too firmly) that he come along. "I think I may have a way to find the person responsible for what happened to Marcel's nightwalkers. It's connected…to everything that Kol has talked about. Sophie is helping me." At least she hopes Sophie is. There is always the distinct possibility that Sophie has been unsuccessful in pulling off the spell.

Elijah is quiet for a nearly a beat too long. Then he smiles and it is slightly unnerving. "I do hope that your endeavors bear fruit."

"You could have just said _good luck_. It would make you sound more like a normal human being instead of a walking thesaurus," Bonnie points out. His smile doesn't waver and she is decides it is not worth trying to find a chink in his armor today. She has more important places to be. "If your brother wonders where I am, come up with something to soothe his temper please." It doesn't surprise her that he nods his head. She slips through the door and into the New Orleans morning.

The sun feels good on her skin and she smiles briefly as she walks. The café Sophie has chosen is not far and she finds the witch seated at a table outside. _Good_, now that Bonnie is breathing fresh air she has no desire to go inside. Already there are two cups of coffee on the table top.

Sophie raises a brow. "I had a feeling that you might be in desperate need of some caffeine. I am glad I went with it."

Bonnie gives her a grateful look as she pulls her bag over her head and sets it on the ground. She sinks into the chair and pulls the cup towards her. It is still steaming hot so she decides to wait a moment. "It was a long night," she confirms. For now she decides not to get into the details with Sophie. She wants to know about the spell. "Did you do it? Did you manage?"

Sophie must sense there is something is much more to Bonnie's opening statement because she gives Bonnie a look - one that leaves Bonnie with the impression that Sophie is not one hundred percent happy with her at the moment. The other witch leans back in her chair and tilts her head. "I did."

Bonnie nearly sags in relief. Finally, _finally_ something has gone right.

From her bag, Sophie pulls a map. "I had to go back to the alley - the place where Marcel's vampires were killed. I was hoping the symbol would have still been there. It would have made things easier. But since _easy_ has apparently disappeared from everyone's vocabulary I found that someone had taken a sledgehammer to it. Probably at Marcel's behest. He doesn't like losing people." Bonnie already knows this all too well. "Still, that kind of magic. It leaves a scar. It took some doing but I was able to tap into it." Sophie leans back in her seat, and shakes her head. "I felt it. For the briefest moment. I have to say…it was _amazing_."

Bonnie wonders if Sophie expects her to be surprised by that. "I know. It's seductive. It pulls you in and makes you realize just _what_ you could do. But it comes with a hell of a cost."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about me," Sophie assures her, reaching forward to lift her cup to her lips. She continues after she has taken a sip and replaced the cup on the table. "I have seen far too much to be fooled. A momentary feeling of invincibility is just that."

It does Bonnie good to hear that, even if she has suspected it. In their short span of time together, Bonnie has come to like Sophie. She knows the other witch is in it over her head but she hopes that Sophie can come out of this unscathed. "You're smarter than I was."

"Nah," Sophie says with a shake of her head. "Just older." She gives Bonnie a small smile. "Anyway, I took your suggestion, channeled something…"

"What?" Bonnie asks automatically. She realizes she should have let Sophie finish the story first but she can't help but want to know.

"It's _complicated_," Sophie answers and there is sheepish look on her face. "Not so much a _what_ but a _who_. Just trust me on this one. I wouldn't have done it if I thought it would lead to more trouble."

Bonnie is not entirely happy with the answer but then again she is the one who pushed the spell onto Sophie. She isn't in the position to be demanding answers. So she nods. "As long as it worked right?"

"Right," Sophie answers firmly. She spreads the map out on the table between them. Before her Bonnie sees the city of New Orleans. "I linked that signature to this map. The moment it shows up again you'll know. I don't know how; the grimoire wasn't exactly forth coming in that department. But you'll know." She folds it up again and pushes it in Bonnie's direction. "I hope it works out like you need it to."

"You have no idea how much I hope the same thing," Bonnie says, finally reaching for her coffee. There is so much riding on finding the person responsible for all of this. If she can hand that name to the Mikaelsons, if she can stop them before they use that kind of magic to bring back the dead then maybe she can be free from all this. Maybe she can go back to Whitmore and worry about midterms and papers instead of witch politics and vengeful spirits.

Sophie is reaching into her bag again. This time she pulls out the grimoire. She sets that on the table as well. "Figured you might want this back. So you could, _you know_, return it to whoever you borrowed it from in the first place."

There is that guilt again but at least Kol is not around to chastise her for it.

Bonnie averts her eyes as she collects the grimoire and the map. Both are carefully placed into her bag. A server appears, far too bubbly for Bonnie's taste given the time of day, to take their orders. Sophie orders something that sounds fancy and French while Bonnie keeps it simple - an omelette and piece of toast. She'll congratulate herself if she manages to eat it all. Once they are alone again, Sophie speaks first. "If you do find out who is using this kind of magic, what will do? Tell Klaus? Sign the death warrant of someone who is pushing back against the Mikaelsons?"

Bonnie does not need any further proof that Sophie is upset with her. She shakes her head. "I don't know honestly. I feel like I am so far out of my league with this. With _all of this_." Because the Harvest weighs heavy on her mind too. "I just want my life back, Sophie. I'm sort of caught between a rock and hard place here. I need to find this witch so I can go home - but at the same I know what it is like to have your life turned inside out because of the Mikaelsons…" She debates how much to tell Sophie. There are so many examples she can fall back on. In the end, she touches on the one that causes her the most pain. "My mother is a vampire. Did you know that?"

Sophie's eyes widen. "…_Abby _Bennett is a vampire?"

Bonnie nods. "I came up against Klaus and company _again_. This time I thought I had the upper hand. Turns out Elijah did. He played a card that set into motion my mother's turning. She hates herself. She doesn't tell me that of course, but I know. I am hoping that with time she'll come to be happy. I need her to be happy because I feel like I pulled her into this world in the first place."

Sophie takes a deep breath. "No, Bonnie, you didn't. Once a witch, _always_ a witch. She would have found her way back sooner or later. I am sorry though."

"Thanks," Bonnie says quietly before she sighs heavily. "So yes, I get it - your confusion to why I would want to do something that _helps_ them. I am confused sometimes too." She presses her lips together and then shakes her head. "I remind myself that nothing good can come from this anyway. Raising the dead using sacrificial magic? Whoever this is…I doubt it is just about what has happened in New Orleans between the witches and the vampires. It is just a catalyst to set off everything; centuries of bad behavior that have built a burning need for revenge. If anyone comes back, they are going to be focused on one thing: destroy the Mikaelsons. I doubt they are going to care about _collateral damage_. The witches of the French Quarter might find themselves caught in between."

Sophie remains quiet, obviously processing everything that Bonnie has said. "You have a point - as sad as that is to admit," she concedes. "Still, it doesn't take the bitter taste from my mouth at the thought of doing something that actually helps the same vampires who would have seen me dead."

"I know," Bonnie agrees. "When this is all said and done, a better solution to the vampire issue, one that doesn't involve witches throwing away their lives, needs to be found."

Sophie's eyebrows push together. "What do you mean: _throwing away their lives_?"

"Yesterday a witch crossed over. I think he was killed by the same one we are looking for…"

Sophie leans forward, a flash of anger crossing her face. "I should have done the spell as soon as you gave me the book. Killing our own - that's _not_ right."

"No, it's not. But he _wanted_ to die. He volunteered. He told me as much - a willing sacrifice so that the Mikaelsons' fall. So add his power to whatever else this witch has amassed," Bonnie concludes.

"No name? You didn't know who he was?" Sophie asks.

"Stranger in a strange land, remember? I've got his face up here," Bonnie says as she taps her temple. "His throat was slit. I am willing to bet that whoever did this was smarter about it this time and did it where prying eyes won't find him. But if a body turns up…"

"Call you," Sophie finishes with a sigh.

Bonnie nods. "Look, I feel horrible for putting you in this position. I _will_ find a way to make it up to you."

Sophie waves her hand. "It's not like I was in good standing with the witches around here anywhere. I'm the one who ruined the Harvest in the first place. I don't regret standing up to them even if I regret how everything turned out."

Bonnie can understand that. "Hopefully _soon_ everything will be back to the way it should be."

_Hopefully_.

**X**

With a full stomach (she had surprisingly cleaned her plate) Bonnie walks toward the _Jardin Gris_. The ill-gotten grimoire will be returned and she can leave behind that particular source of guilt. She plans to make it quick for she is under no illusion that she can just sneak it back in. She will fess up and hopefully Enid will be far too busy peddling love potions to give Bonnie the full brunt of her anger.

The _Jardin Gris _is empty of customers when she enters (_of course it is_). Enid is creating a display of crystals and looks up. "Well, there you are. Took you longer than I expected."

"Excuse me?" Bonnie asks, immediately on guard.

"To bring back the book," Enid answers as if it is the most obvious answer in the world (which it is in a way; Bonnie just hasn't expected Enid to know it). "Thought I might see you at the crack of dawn considering that hefty wallop of guilt you left with yesterday."

If Kol were here Bonnie knows he would be whispering that he told her so.

She can't even deny it so she doesn't bother with any preamble. She pulls the grimoire from her bag and extends it in Enid's direction. "I apologize. I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think it was absolutely necessary…"

"You wanted it? You could have just asked," Enid tells her and it is the closest Bonnie thinks she'll come to an actual lecture. "I don't mind sharing when I _know_ I'm sharing. Way I see it - all of that back there belongs to the witch community as a whole. Of course people tend to get a _little _territorial which is a shame really."

Bonnie blinks, thinking she is caught in the midst of a dream instead of her usual nightmare. "I really thought you were going to…"

"Turn you into a toad?" Enid asks, and the playful spirit that Bonnie caught wind of yesterday is back in full force. "Too time consuming. You beat yourself up enough. From here on out though, if you need my help, you ask. Understood?"

"Understood," Bonnie repeats with a nod.

Enid turns back to her crystals. Her hands slid to her hips and she tilts her head. "I think I'll head out back and get some more agate. I think we could all use a bit of courage at the moment."

**X**

Bonnie's almost doesn't recognize the sound of her own ringtone.

She has a momentarily confused look on her face as she walks. Then it clicks. Her eyes widen and she digs through the bag. When she pulls it free, her heart sinks.

_Jeremy Gilbert_.

She can't ignore him any longer. She may as well purge this feeling of guilt while she is on a roll. She takes a deep breath and finally answers the phone. "Jeremy…"

"Oh thank God." There is a whoosh of air from the other side and Bonnie knows he is relieved to just hear her voice.

Bonnie closes her eyes, thinking that she is a horrible human being for doing this to him. "Hi Jeremy," she says quietly as she moved through the mid-morning crowd. Jackson Square is up ahead. Already she can see the artists and the fortune tellers setting up shop, ready for another day of luring in tourists. She doesn't quite make it that far. Instead she settles onto the nearest bench and hopes this phone call goes better than what she has rehearsed in her head.

"I was worried," Jeremy says. His voice is even. He is angry (rightfully so).

"I know," she answers. "I know and I am _so _sorry."

"Where are you?" He asks. "I know you are not with Abby. When you didn't answer your phone all yesterday I tracked her down. She had no idea you were no longer at Whitmore. She's worried too."

Bonnie takes that in; lets it sink to her stomach. Her head falls and she wonders what she can say to that. She won't tell the truth. She can't. He'll be in New Orleans before she can stop him and then he'll be wrapped up in all of this. Only he'll be seen as excess baggage in the eyes of everyone else involved. She can't have him hurt (or _worse_) because of her. "I'm safe, I promise you."

"_Where_?"

"I can't tell you, Jeremy. I know what that sounds like. I know that it is the _worst_ thing I could say to you after everything but I am doing it to keep you safe," she tells him. All in one breath.

There is a pause - one that stretches out too long. "I never asked you to."

Of course he didn't but she is doing it anyway. Because she cares deeply for him. Because she won't have another person hurt just for knowing her. "You didn't have to. I am doing it because you mean a lot to me. You know that…"

"You show this by lying?" He asks. The anger is more evident now. He can no longer control the pitch of his voice. It rises significantly. "You _died_, Bonnie. More than once. You got another chance and you're off doing God knows what. This is _not_ what you are supposed to do with your life. You are supposed to _live_ it."

Tears finally come (after threatening to do so for days). She feels like she has been beaten down to this moment. She doesn't just cry for what is happening with Jeremy. She cries for it all. Her free hand swipes at the tears but they are quickly replaced. She can't keep up. "I am trying, Jeremy. I have been trying. We both know since I came back that I have. I did what I supposed to do. I went to college. I got a dorm room with my two best friends. I dated a wonderful guy who stood by me when there was no one else…" She feels strange doing this here, with people beginning to wander past her. But no one seems to pay her any mind; perhaps they are too caught up in their own lives to notice a girl crying on a bench. "But it couldn't work. Not like we all wanted it to. I'll never be normal. I spend half of my waking hours worried about when the next dead _thing_ is going to need to push its way through me. What if it's in the middle of a midterm? When I am giving a presentation in class? What happens then?" She tips her head back and the tears shift their path, disappearing into her hair line. "I think I've known this for a while. I just…I didn't want to admit it."

"That's bullshit," Jeremy shoots back. "You can have a normal life. Or as normal as possible considering everything that has happened. Yes, there are obstacles. Yes, you will never completely free. But you are choosing to throw yourself into the deep end yet again. I don't think you can help it anymore."

She can't; but not for the reasons Jeremy thinks. She doesn't really have much choice in the matter. Not unless she is prepared to have Kol Mikaelson torment her for leaving his family when there is a threat looming over their heads (she'll ignore the uncomfortable feeling that there is a sliver of truth to Jeremy's words). "Okay. If that's what you think," she says because she doesn't want to fight with him.

He pauses again. Clearly he had expected push back. She wonders if he is recalculating what to say next now that she hasn't given it to him. "Come home."

_Home_ - Mystic Falls? _Whitmore?_

Home.

"I can't," Bonnie tells him. "Not yet." Now she wonders if she ever will be able to after this conversation. That European vacation is looking more and more appealing by the second. "I know I should have been honest with you long before now. I know I should have answered the phone yesterday. I should have done a lot of things differently. For what it's worth, and I am sure it's not worth much to you - I'm _sorry_, Jeremy. For all of this."

"So I am I," Jeremy says and the tightness has returned to his voice. It hurts more than the obvious anger. "If Caroline and Elena ask where you are, if they ask if I have heard from you - I'm not lying. I'm not doing that again."

"Fair enough," Bonnie tells him. She realizes the tears have stopped. She feels numb instead. "Please take care of yourself, Jeremy."

"Only if you'll do the same," Jeremy instructs.

That's it - it feels like there is nothing else to say. Bonnie lets the phone fall away from her ear, her thumb moving automatically to end the call. She sits there staring at the edge of the sidewalk for far too long. It is only when a bright orange bloom fills her vision does she snap out of it. Her head jerks up and she finds herself looking at a man in tails and a topcoat. It is a strange sight but then she considers her surroundings. He is a street performer. She blinks and reaches up to curl her fingers around the stem of the flower. "A beautiful woman such as yourself shouldn't be sitting on a bench crying," he points out as he takes a step back.

Bonnie looks from the vibrant color of the petals to the man. "Thank you." She uses the palm of her free hand to wipe away any evidence that she has been crying and then stands. She manages to turn the corners of her mouth into something that resembles a smile. "I think I'm done anyway but still - it's a nice gesture," she says as she lifts the flower almost as if she is toasting him. "Have a good day."

"You too, _cher_." He tips his hat in return.

**X **

She decides she is going to keep the flower.

It is placed in a vase and set in the empty spot where the Faberge egg once took up residence. She stands back to admire it for a moment before crossing the room to pull the map free from her bag. It is spread out on the bedside table and she just stares as if something will conveniently appear.

A knock on her door catches her attention instead and she whirls around expecting to be bombarded by questions courtesy of Elijah or Klaus. Instead she finds Kol standing there. For a moment she just stands there, looking confused. "Did you…_just knock_?"

"I have been informed on numerous occasions that sneaking up on you is in fact rude," Kol points out with a hint of a smile. He steps into the room, his hands clasped behind his back. "So I am taking measures to ensure that you understand I do have some manners."

Bonnie raises a brow. "If you weren't dead and already blackmailing me, I'd say you wanted something."

"_Blackmailing_," he states, his voice treating the word as if it is something foul. "I would hardly call it that."

"I would," she shoots back and there is a _little_ heat behind her words. She is still raw from the phone call. She takes a deep breath and squares her shoulders. Better they talk business before she finds herself in the same position she was in on that bench. She looks to the map. "Sophie did it. She managed to pull off the spell. The witch's signature is linked to this map. The very second he or she utters a word the location will be highlighted on the map."

"Told you my witch was clever," Kol states as he walks over. He traces his fingers over the map, following a street. He looks pleased that they finally have something solid to use going forward.

"She was _your_ witch?" Bonnie asks, crossing one arm over the other.

"In a manner of speaking, _yes_," Kol answers and his eyes twinkle with amusement.

"So much for being a perfect gentleman," Bonnie shoots back. She closes her eyes and shakes her head. How is it that they can always end up in a moment like this? She almost laughs but in the end she opens her eyes and finds him admiring the newest addition to her décor.

"You found time to pick wildflowers in your busy schedule?" He questions.

"I have never picked wildflowers," Bonnie states coming to stand next to him. "A street vendor gave it to me. I think it's a pity flower to be honest." Given that she had no doubt looked like a wounded animal when he had approached her. "But still, it's a pretty pity flower so I am keeping it."

"Accepting flowers from strangers," Kol begins and clicks his tongue. "How _scandalous_."

"It's just a flower, Kol," she assures him. "At most - a kind gesture."

"From someone in this city? Be careful, Bonnie. If this side knows I am looking into things you can bet your side knows you are doing the same," Kol warns.

"And they are _giving me flowers_. I feel _very threatened_ right now," Bonnie says slowly, her tone reflecting the silliness that she believes the conversation has dissolved into. She can tell by the way he looks at her that he is none too pleased that she is not taking him seriously.

"I just mean that you should watch your step," Kol says, his voice firm and quiet. "Something happens to you…"

"…and you lose your ability to speak to your family," Bonnie finishes quickly. "I get it. Don't worry; I won't accept any more _gifts_. It was a moment of weakness…" He gives her an odd look and she finds herself desperate to change the subject to avoid recounting her disastrous phone call with Jeremy. "I guess for now all we can do is wait and watch the map."

Kol looks back at the object in question, his head nodding. "I certainly can help with that. After all, you do have to sleep at some point. In fact I recommend it at this moment. You look a few inches from death…"

"I am a few inches from death," she reminds him. "Taking a nap will hardly improve the matter." Though it is tempting. "I'll sleep when this is all over. In Rome remember?" Kol smiles in response. She gathers up the map. "For now, I am headed to the study. I got a good look the other day - well, when I wasn't writhing in pain on the floor. Lots of book, some of them of a_ personal nature_. It might be a good idea to start compiling a list of enemies." She notes the look on Kol's face - clearly he does not want it to come to that. Neither does she. "Just in case."

"_Just in case_."

**X**

It doesn't surprise her that it is Elijah who keeps meticulous records.

Though it does surprise her to find that he leaves them out in the open. She had found his journal, emblazoned with a rather large _M_ resting on one of the shelves. Sure she had to lift a book or two but it wasn't like she had rifled through desk drawers or looked for secret compartments. For a moment, she had felt as if she were trespassing through his personal thoughts but then she reminded herself that he had no regard for boundaries.

So she had pulled it from the shelf (and stopped to reflect that there is more research in this situation than she had first envisioned).

They start in 1359, making her wonder if this is just one of many books in which Elijah has written down his thoughts. The first entry gives credence to this idea.

_I have noticed a difference in my siblings. Our bond strains beneath the pressure of our life as vampires. Each day removes them further from the humanity we once possessed. My sweet sister Rebekah has grown quite indifferent to brutality. However, the true problem remains my brother Niklaus; he continues to hide his loneliness with cruelty. Still, I cling to the hope that I, as their eldest brother, can lead them down the correct path, a path charged with the power of a family united. For if I fail, our family's legacy will end in darkness._

Bonnie looks up, both brows raised. So Elijah has had what? Nearly seven centuries of trying to lead them down the correct path - interesting road they've taken thus far. She wonders if part of why he reacts the way he does is because he feels as if he has failed to avoid the fate he predicted way back when.

In the end, she reminds herself this is not about psychoanalyzing Elijah but about compiling a list of potential enemies. She finds a pad of paper and a pen and loses track of time pouring over entries. It is hard work - Elijah worries a lot about the future of his siblings. He devotes pages to describing his fears and what can be done to avoid them. Every now and then, a misdeed is mentioned. She makes note of it, scribbling a name or a few details (she'll have to ask Elijah for names in those cases; a prospect she is not looking forward to, especially considering she will have to find a way to get the information without admitting outright what she has done).

Somehow (probably due to the fact that Elijah appears to have abandoned his journal for a century or two), Bonnie finds herself in the middle of their time in New Orleans. She reads of their struggle to find a home amongst the witches and wolves (and _still_ doesn't feel sorry for them knowing that in the end they took it all). Elijah still worries of Klaus' eternal soul and Rebekah still manages to fall head in heels in love every decade or so. Kol's name appears; often with a list of crimes not far behind. If there is someone to root for in this twisted tale Elijah is spinning she decides it is the youngest brother. It is clear from Elijah's descriptions that Kol cannot pierce through that inner circle - he stands outside watching as Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah do their twisted dance of love and hate.

If there was ever a family in more need of some **serious** counseling…

Bonnie raises a brow when Elijah's entries once again become sporadic. She can't help but wonder if he has met the wrong end of a dagger at this point in history but then a single line catches her attention:

_Celeste entrances me; she is perfection_.

She leans back in her chair, one brow sliding up her forehead. She hasn't seen this coming - despite everything she has read; despite Elijah's tendency to pour his heart out in an overly wordy manner, this is a surprise. Perhaps because throughout the centuries he has spoken of so few outside of his siblings.

Perhaps because Celeste is the first name that comes with this particular kind of emotion attached.

In truth, she feels uncomfortable reading on. Knowing his inner mind when it comes to Klaus has only confirmed what she already knows about Elijah - he is hopelessly devoted to his brother. Reading of his attraction to Celeste (and a quick skim confirms it becomes so much more) opens up a side of Elijah she would rather not consider. It is easier to see him as the puppet master in a plot that destroyed her mother.

"I thought I might find you here."

Speak of the man himself.

Bonnie slams the journal shut, feeling like she has been caught red handed. Her eyes widen as she takes Elijah in. Somewhere along the way he has lost his customary suit jacket and he has pulled the sleeves of his dress shirt up. His eyes fall to the book, still seated on her lap. "_Ah_, I see you have found my journal," he stated as she moved into the room. He offers his hand and she is quick to relinquish his possession to him.

"You didn't exactly hide it," Bonnie points out, though she knows it is not much of a defense.

"I was not trying to," Elijah tells her and he runs hand over the book. "There is little to hide within these pages. My brother could have read it centuries ago and would not be surprised by what is said - I have told him as much time and time again. I leave it out to serve as reminder to him of just what it is I have done in the name of keeping this family together. He has never touched it. Of that I am certain."

No doubt because Klaus does not want to be reminded that he has been the focal point of the Mikaelson family for some time now - he would rather think of himself as the black sheep.

_Family counseling_, she reminds herself.

"I'm not your brother," Bonnie tells him. "So I have no business looking through it."

Elijah moves through the study to replace the book on the shelf. He then turns back, this time to look at the pad of paper at Bonnie's side. There are pages of names, bits and pieces of information that she desires clarification on. "Apparently, it is all business when it comes to my family's history," he points out.

She took looks at the list. She figures now that the ice has been broken (and it is sufficiently awkward) she should just forge ahead. "I am just trying to get names- some idea of _who_ we should expect if those involve manage to raise the dead en masse."

"You could have come directly to me," Elijah points out.

But that would involve spending more time with him than she would care to – already she feels as if she is testing her limits. Still, her head falls. "I could have," she concedes as she stands. She rips her notes from the pad and extends them toward him. "Could you..." A pause as she considers how best to word it. "Could you just take a look at these? Tell me if any of these names or incidents would be related to what's coming. Tell me who will be the biggest threat."

Elijah nods his head. He takes the paper from her. Bonnie breathes a sigh of relief at getting out this situation relatively unscathed. She picks up the map from its resting place on the coffee table and makes a hasty retreat. She is almost scot free when Elijah speaks. "Next time, Bonnie, I would very much appreciate it if you asked. Given the circumstance I see no reason why I would deny you access to information that could potentially help us all but I would rather have the ability to grant permission to those who want to play around in my memories."

Bonnie gives a quick nod and then decides that Kol was right - she looks like death (she _feels_ like death).

She is going to take nap.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: It's been just over a month. Sorry for the wait! I had been doing better near the end of 2015. That being said, I can't tell you how excited I am. Way back in the chapter 8 notes (I think) I said one of my goals was to take something from the fifth season of **_**TVD**_** and marry it with the first season of **_**The Originals**_**. It is an event that will up the ante for all the characters involved. It also ends one of Bonnie's current plights and hands her a whole new set of issues to deal with. This **_**isn't **_**that chapter but it is the final set up for that event. I had thought it would happen sooner (it did in my story outline) but laying the groundwork took longer than I expected. Also, I know some are worried about Bonnie's current frame of mind when it comes to the Mikaelsons but please keep in mind that Bonnie has only been in New Orleans for a few days. She also comes with a heck of a lot of baggage courtesy of the Mikaelsons. Those moments people want to happen are coming, trust me! Once again, thank you so much for all the support I have been given. It keeps me going! **

**Part Thirteen**

When she wakes it is dark.

It is automatic for her to turn her head to look at the map, spread out once again on the bedside table.

"Nothing," Kol mutters. Her entire body tenses and she lets out a squeak. He makes a face from his perch. "You cannot blame that one on me. You _knew_ I was here when you fell asleep - it is not my fault you forgot that fact while you snored."

She glowers. "I did not snore."

"You snored a little," Kol retorts. His feet hit the floor and he stretches. She is left wondering if he had the ability to feel uncomfortable (she can't quite remember from her days as a ghost). "Feeling better?"

Better isn't exactly the word she wants to use. After all, this is the day she broke up with her boyfriend (officially, she figures that they were done the minute she left Whitmore without telling him where she was going). Add to that she had been chastised (and rightfully so she concedes) by Elijah. So she is not _better_ as much as she is less weary. "Sure," she states because she figures that Kol will not understand (or appreciate the difference). "I am starving though. I missed lunch…"

"And dinner," Kol points out. "Rebekah came to fetch you earlier and found you sprawled out. I think she took pity on you and did not wake you only to subject you to a meal with my horrible brothers." There is a hint of a smile on his face. "Clever girl."

"I owe her one," Bonnie agrees, though she might have suffered through it for the food. She sits up in the bed and stretches her limbs. She'll have to raid the fridge - if she can find it _and_ if she can avoid picking up a tail or two.

She doesn't like her odds.

"Do you mind…."

"…continuing my vigil of the mystical map?" Kol finishes. "Hardly. Go on, find yourself something to eat. My promise still stands: if I notice anything you will know right away."

She doesn't question their sudden shift to teamwork. Instead she exits her room and surveys the scene below. There are men moving here and there trying their best to clean up the remnants of Davina's windstorm. She has no doubt that they have been compelled to work mindlessly - it leaves a bad taste in her mouth as she descends the stairs.

She weaves through the disaster zone; hoping instinct will lead her to food. She makes one wrong turn and finds herself in what she can only describe as a wine cellar (in reality, a room filled with every kind of liquor imaginable - a place she commits to memory should this whole thing go south and she feels the need to drink herself stupid). When she finds the kitchen she is surprised at how full it is. Despite knowing better (because of her friendship with vampires), she still forgets that they actually _eat_. This kitchen would make any chef envious. She is clueless how to even work half the things in it.

She is able to find fresh fruit, some cheese and bread. She craves coffee but she doesn't dare attempt to press a button on the elaborate looking machine in the corner. It might blow up and draw in an Original vampire. Best to stick to water. She seats herself at the table and begins to pick away at her version of supper.

It is quiet (save for the noise from the courtyard).

It almost feels _normal_ - therefore she knows something is coming.

(Enid Lacour is not the only one with _intuition) _

Bonnie has nearly cleared her plate when it happens. It begins as a loud shout - _Marcel_ and she knows it is Davina. She pushes back her chair and abandons what is left of her meal. She finds him in the courtyard, clutching a pale Davina to him. She is drenched, her hair matted to the sides of her face and her clothes clinging to her skin. Bonnie's brows push together and Davina coughs, the sound more like a rattle deep in her chest. Then she does something that reminds Bonnie of the moment this downhill spiral began: she vomits. This time however it is crystal clear water. It hits the courtyard floor with a sickening splat. Around them the workers continue to remove debris as if nothing is happening.

_Water_ - the third element to make its appearance.

Bonnie takes a step forward as Davina's body lurches and more water erupts from her mouth. Marcel spins so that he is between the pair, his eyes narrowed and anger evident.

"Marcel," she pleads.

"_Back_ off," he shouts and she sees the veins under his eyes thicken. He is not going to let her help Davina.

Klaus is the next to arrive, no doubt drawn in by the sound of his protégé speaking in anger. He side steps the growing puddle and looks to Bonnie for an explanation. "She's choking, Klaus," Bonnie states the obvious in hopes that he can reason with his unruly child. She knows that Marcel is reacting in panic and in his mind, Bonnie is a threat.

"Lay her on her side, Marcel," Klaus says and his voice has a level of patience Bonnie did not know existed in him. She holds her breath but thankfully Marcel complies. He lowers Davina to the courtyard floor, cradling her head. The flow of water begins to subside and she takes in deep breaths when she can. There is water in her lungs, Bonnie realizes. She feels helpless and she can only hope it will pass just as the wind did.

"D," Marcel prompts, his hand running across her back. "Come on, _D_. P_lease_."

Bonnie knows she can't get too close, not without running the risk of Marcel lashing out (and she only has Klaus for backup, not exactly the most trustworthy of allies). Still, she has to act. "Push it out, let it go somewhere else," she urges. "Don't even try to hold it in." She has no idea if it is the right thing to say but then again she has never been faced with a moment such as this. She mentally crosses her fingers and hopes that Davina will be able to push through before she drowns in front of them all.

It takes a moment too long in Bonnie's books but then she hears Davina's voice, quiet among the noise around them. "_Marcel_." Bonnie's shoulders sag in relief; an act that Marcel quickly mirrors. He gathers her up in his arms and holds her to his chest. Davina looks blinks and then buries her head in the crook of his neck. "I can't…I _can't do this anymore_…"

"You shouldn't have to," Bonnie says immediately, her heart sinking.

"I wondered how long it would take for your agenda to show," Klaus sneers and there is none of that patience, none of that caring that had been evident only minutes before. Bonnie's head whips in his direction and her eyes narrow. "Back to pushing the idea that Davina should go through with this ridiculous ritual so that the witches of New Orleans can once again be powerful."

"That is not why I want her to do this," Bonnie shoots back. She is sick of Klaus being paranoid. Sick of him wanting to see the worst in her actions. Sick of him refusing to look at the dying girl in Marcel's arms as nothing more than a bargaining chip to keep an upper hand on the witches. She knows if Klaus has his way, Davina will continue to struggle in her final days and die with no chance to return. "Stop acting as if you know what goes on inside my head, Klaus."

Klaus turns on her so that the two are practically toe to toe (someone that is becoming a familiar sight within these walls it seems). "I may not know your exact thoughts, _sweetheart_, but I know your beginnings. I know your pride when it comes to your magical abilities. You may be here to assist my brother in his wild goose chase but you have admitted that it is under duress. Your loyalties lie with the witches."

There is a measure of truth mixed in all of his accusations. It has to be unraveled and laid out bare - a hard task to do given that Klaus clearly cannot listen to anything but his own thoughts. "I am loyal to _a witch_," she corrects and she looks to Davina. "_To her_."

"And that kind of loyalty dictates a _slaughter_," Klaus retorts, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

The word seems to trigger something in Marcel. "No one is killing her," he states. He wraps his arms tighter around the frightened young girl. Bonnie wishes that none of this had played out the way it has. She may be fighting against a deadline but hearing the Harvest twisted by Klaus' flawed logic has only set her intentions back. She shakes her head vigorously, wanting to prove to him (more important to Davina) that Klaus is wrong. Before she can even speak, Marcel moves with the speed his supernatural stature has given him. He is out the front door, swinging it open so violently it embeds in the wall.

Of course, he has taken Davina with him.

Bonnie stands there, her mouth agape, the words she had meant to say to them both still on the tip of her tongue. It takes her a moment for her brain to catch up and for her thoughts to die. She is able to refocus, turning her head to look at Klaus. "Congratulations," she says. She is beyond angry and it comes out in the clipped tone of her voice. "You just sent Davina off to a very real death with your inability to see beyond yourself."

Mercifully, Klaus has nothing to say in return.

**X**

It starts raining soon after Davina's disappearance.

The sky turns dark and then opens up. The sound of the rain beating off the roof of the Abattoir is shrill and constant. Bonnie knows it is no coincidence. Davina has just has just released a hell of a lot of energy out into the open - it's got to manifest itself somehow. She is quick to retreat to her room where Kol still stands.

"I take it this was not the weather forecasted for today," Kol quips.

Bonnie shakes her head as she reaches for her phone. Sophie picks up on the second ring. "It's Davina, isn't it?" This time Bonnie can confirm it is. "Dammit, this is happening faster than I thought it would. She doesn't have much time, Bonnie."

"I know," Bonnie says quietly. "I tried to talk to her but she is surrounded by those who can't understand or who have their own agenda. She doesn't know me - and I have given her reason not to trust me." She sinks down onto the bed, feeling defeated.

Sophie must read that in her voice. "It's not your fault, Bonnie. You stepped into this game far too late. You can't be blamed for its outcome."

Comforting words that fall on deaf ears. She knows that she is hard wired to try _anything_ to save the people she cares about. It has both given her purpose and robbed her of so many things. She is trying to remember that she is just one person and is not capable of doing it all. It is not an easy pill to swallow. "You should prepare for the Harvest," Bonnie finally says.

There is a pause on the other end of the line.

"You said she wouldn't agree to it," Sophie points out.

"No, I said that others are trying to think for her," Bonnie corrects. "She wants to live, Sophie. I haven't given up hope yet that she'll realize there is a way to do it." Surely in the end, Davina Claire will be allowed to choose her own fate. She pauses and then decides that Sophie needs to know. "Marcel took her - he's gone and I don't know where. You know him better than I do…"

"…just barely," Sophie acknowledges. "He has many faces remember: friend, lover, _oppressor of witches_…"

"Just…if you can think of anywhere he might take her, let me know. Okay?" Bonnie can't ask much more than that at this point. She glances up to find Kol watching her intently. "I'll call when I know more." She tosses her phone on her bed and then takes a deep breath.

"You think she will go through with it?"

"_Faith_," Bonnie says wryly.

He gives her a ghost of the smile. "A mystical witch ritual and an army of the dead trying to break free from the Other Side - my, _my_ you do have your plate full."

Bonnie closes her eyes, and lets out an exasperated chuckle. "_Nah_, I got this," she says though she doesn't believe her own words. She feels like she is barely holding on to any _one _thing at the moment. If she is not careful, everything is sure to come crashing down in spectacular fashion.

"Just remember that you are not entirely alone in your endeavours. You have resources, people…_use them_," Kol instructs. She gives him a look and he merely smiles. "I do not doubt your abilities, little witch; I am just pointing out that you can hardly be expected to handle all of this on your own."

Fair enough, she concedes (but only in her head of course). She knows Rebekah wants to help with Marcel and that Elijah will do whatever is necessary to protect his family. Add to that - a witch (or two if Enid's offer to help is to be believed) and a ghost who doesn't mind map sitting and you officially have _Team No Choice But to Work Together_.

(the name is a work in progress, she decides)

The wind picks up and slams the rain against her windows. She looks over her shoulder and then back to Kol. "At this rate, we might be swimming by the morning," she points out.

There is no time to be wasted.

**X**

She is looking for Rebekah but finds Klaus instead. He is in the same room where she had done a little extra curricular research on Elijah's thought process. There is a glass of alcohol dangling from his hand and she does not know if that is a good sign or _a bad_. He looks up when she steps in. "If you are here to spout indigent statements in righteous tone _spare me_," he says before tossing back his drink.

"I would rather spare _myself_," she begins. "Since talking to you about most things is akin to talking to a wall."

The look he gives her is far from friendly.

Bonnie maintains a safe distance (an illusion given how quickly he can move if he is properly motivated). "I was looking for your sister." Thus far she as struck out and she has to wonder if Rebekah often wanders off on her own to avoid moments such as this.

"Ah, so you are looking for the most sympathetic of us!" He punctuates his statement with a harsh laugh. "Rebekah always does let her emotions get the better of her."

Bonnie refrains from pointing out that he should try tapping into more than one emotion at a time. She is on a mission and fighting with him will not allow her to achieve her goal. However, without Rebekah she is on her own and she is _trying_ to embrace Kol's words. So she takes a deep breath and tries a new tactic with him. "Marcel's yours. You made him - and somehow he is still alive. That tells me he means something to you," Bonnie begins.

"He's _useful_," Klaus states.

Bonnie wonders if he will ever be able to admit aloud to anyone that he actually cares. She sees through him easily enough and suspects he knows she does. Still, he clings to the idea that everyone around him is just for show and wholly disposable should the mood strike. "Look, at this rate Marcel is going to be the last thing Davina sees before she dies. I don't know what that will do to him. He might not be as _useful_ if he exposes the vampire community to the people of New Orleans in his grief. You might want to find him," she states evenly and then turns her back. She has almost walked through the doorway when he speaks.

"I'll keep that under advisement."

**X**

She stands in front of the bedside table looking down at the map as if she is expecting it to reveal its secret. She almost feels as if it is laughing at her at the moment - a silly thought considering it is an inanimate object.

"If looks could kill, that thing would have already given up everything," Kol assures her as he comes to stand next to you. "I commend you for your effort however."

Bonnie huffs in frustration. "I can't just stand here knowing that Davina is out there and this thing is about to blow wide open."

"And what do you propose?" Kol asks as he glances toward the windows. The rain continues to beat against it in sheets. "You _swim _the streets of New Orleans in search of where Marcel could have hidden the tiny witch?"

Bonnie shoots him a look. Now is _not_ the time for Kol's unique brand of sarcasm. Instead of dignifying that with an answer, she grabs her coat and slips into it. It will hardly do against the onslaught beyond the walls of the compound - it's merely for show.

Kol tilts his head, his eyes narrowing. "Not even ten minutes ago we had a discussion about how you _cannot_ just take on everything on your own. I am _so glad_ to see that it sunk through that _thick_ skull of yours."

"It did," she assures him as she zippers the jacket. She finds herself wishing it had a hood. "But then I had a lovely conversation with your brother, who proved that he is utterly useless unless it serves his own selfish needs." After she stuffs her phone in her pocket, she turns to face Kol once again. "I can't just stand around and wait. I don't _do that very well_. You shouldn't be surprised. After all, you're the one who noticed a pattern. One little pep talk from someone I don't like very much is not going to change a behavior that has probably engrained itself into my DNA. I know someone needs help; _so I help them_."

She cannot read the look on Kol's face. His chin is elevated and he is regarding her through hooded eyes. "One day I sincerely hope that you learn to put yourself first."

_Fat chance_.

**X**

She is soaked to the bone in under a minute.

The water runs in the streets and pools in the dips and bumps. It is whipped around by the wind, slamming against businesses and homes. What was once a busy lane is nearly empty, save for those rushing for a warm dry place. Some laugh and screech as they dodge and weave while others look worried (they must instinctively know this isn't right).

Bonnie just walks.

She has no clear destination in mind. She just needs to keep moving, look for any signs as to where Davina is. Her arms are wrapped tightly around herself and she shivers (ghosts might not be able to feel the cold but the anchor can). She blinks to try and keep the rain from flooding her vision. She can barely see two feet in front of her - how is she supposed to look for that all important clue (that needle in a haystack that is threatening to wash away)? Still she doesn't turn around and head back to the Abattoir.

(she can't admit defeat)

She dips under the awning of a café, though it does little to protect her already soaked frame. She tells herself she can have a minute (_one whole minute_) to feel helpless. Then she has to move on – make a list of possible locations, possible people to speak to.

Her phone rings.

She fishes it from her jacket and glances at the ID. _Caroline_. Funny, she has just been thinking about her friend (in a roundabout way; lists are Caroline's forte after all). She doesn't think twice. She answers the call.

"Good," Caroline chirps. "Had you ignored me, I would have started hunting you down."

"You wouldn't even know where to begin," Bonnie reminds her (though she is both terrified and touched by the thought of Caroline searching for her).

"I'm immortal, remember? I have got nothing but time," Caroline tells her. "_How are you_?"

It doesn't take a genius. "You talked to Jeremy," Bonnie says.

"Yes," Caroline answers. "And _no_." There is a pause. "I went to Tyler's earlier today. To return a box of his stuff. You know the usual thing you do after a breakup. I have been trying to persuade Elena to do the same but she is not ready to let go of Damon. I doubt she ever will be…" Another pause. "That is not the point…"

"No, no, I'm sorry I am not there. I know how hard that must have been. Going to see Tyler." Bonnie leans against the side of the café and closes her eyes. She feels that guilt again and wonders if she will ever be able to escape it. "How did it go?"

"Alright." Caroline sounds her usual upbeat self and Bonnie finds that she believes her. "I mean, it sucks in a way but it also helps close that chapter. I think…maybe down the road, _a long way down the road_, Tyler and I might be able to be friends. I'd like that." There is an intake of breath followed by a loud whoosh. "I saw Jeremy. He was there. He was…_drunk_."

Bonnie winces. "Oh God."

"He told me what happened between the two of you," Caroline says. "How you're off God knows where putting your life at risk…"

"I can't die," Bonnie reminds her.

"But you can feel pain," Caroline is quick to point out. "I won't ask because I know you won't tell me. I won't pretend to be okay with that, because I am not. That's why I waited a few hours to call. Our first conversation, played entirely in my head by the way, did not go like this."

Bonnie can picture it. It does not go well for her. "Thank you for waiting," she says truthfully.

"You owe me for that," Caroline says decisively. Bonnie does not argue. "I just want to know that you're okay."

"I'm okay," Bonnie promises, though she doesn't think she is fully telling the truth. "I know this isn't fair to you…"

"It's not, but that's not the real issue at hand," Caroline states. "It's not fair to you either. You need a break from playing savoir. Hopefully after this, whatever this is, you'll get it."

"I am counting on it," Bonnie confesses. Her head dips and there is heaviness in her chest. "I really am."

"Good," Caroline quips. "It means you are thinking of yourself more. Call me - let's say at least twice a week. Anything less and I am making good on my threat to find you. You know me, Bonnie, I can do it."

Despite everything she laughs. "You can - and you will. Twice a week, I promise." She'll keep that promise too because she hasn't realized until now just how much she needs to hear Caroline's voice. "I love you."

Caroline doesn't even wait a beat. "I love you too."

A minute later she is pocketing her phone again. She is no closer to finding Davina but she doesn't feel as defeated as she did earlier. She takes a deep breath, and steps from underneath the awning. Rain pelts her once more but she pushes forward with her head down. She manages to walk in that fashion for nearly a block before a voice stops her dead in her tracks.

"Oi_! _Look where you are going before you get yourself struck by a car!"

Bonnie turns to find Rebekah not that far behind her. Her head tilts and she realizes she has almost stepped blindly onto a street.

"Bloody fool," Rebekah quips and doesn't even pretend to do so under her breath. She is holding an umbrella, which is moderately more effective than Bonnie's jacket. She moves so she is standing next to Bonnie. "Lovely evening for a stroll."

"I am not out for a pleasure walk…"

Rebekah holds up a hand to effectively silence her. "I know," she begins. "I had a run in with my darling brother. He has brought me up to speed. I am here to tell you that you will not find Marcel wandering the streets in the manner that you are. This city is his home. He knows it better than anyone I wager. He will have hidden himself well."

Bonnie hates that Rebekah is vocalizing what she already knows. She closes her eyes, her chest rising slowly before it falls again. "So that's it? We just leave her…"

"You like to jump to conclusions don't you?" Rebekah makes a face. "Having some _intimate knowledge _of Marcel, I have a few ideas. However, I am not interested in discussing on a street corner as the water ruins my shoes. Come along."

Bonnie has no other choice but to follow Rebekah. She moves with purpose and Bonnie finds herself surprised when they land on the doorstep of Rousseau's. She gives Rebekah a look.

The blonde merely shrugs. "Thinking of this magnitude requires alcohol." She pushes the door open and disappears inside.

Bonnie's hand moves to stop the door from slamming in her face. She steps into the bar and is surprised to find it empty save Cami, who looks surprised she has customers. "Hi," she says suddenly feeling awkward.

"You look like you've taken a swim in the Mississippi," Cami points out. She isn't long pulled down two glasses and filling it with a dark liquor. "And in desperate need of this."

"Nik is right…" With that mention, Cami freezes and Bonnie swears her eyes darken. Rebekah doesn't notice (or doesn't care). "…you are an excellent read of people." She takes the glasses and moves towards a booth.

Bonnie is left standing at the bar. She waits a beat and then leans in. "Is Sophie here?"

Cami shakes her head. "She left not long after the rain started. Said it was important. I am holding down the fort until it becomes painfully obvious that everyone is doing the smart thing and staying in for the night."

_Good_, Bonnie thinks. Sophie is preparing for the Harvest like she said. She manages a smile for Cami. "Thanks." Then she moves to sit across from Rebekah. The blonde Original slides a glass in her direction but Bonnie does not reach for it. "You said you had some ideas?"

"Yes," Rebekah answers. "Marcel..." There is a pause so Rebekah can take a rather large swig of her drink. "We began our doomed romance when he was still human. My brother forbade it of course. Why should I be happy? A reoccurring theme in our long history by the way. Anyway, to avoid detection we would steal away. Find places to be together. Those places no longer look as they once did but I am willing to bet that they still have sentimental value to him."

"And just…how many secret places did you two lovebirds have?"

"More than we should have. But we were hiding from Nik. He makes things impossibly hard as you know. Hence why we are sitting here, having a drink. I am going do my best to narrow it down." What follows next is a verbal trip down memory lane. Rebekah names various locations and the bit of romance that goes with it. Some are immediately dismissed while others are put on a short list. When she lists off the location where she and Marcel made love for the first time, Bonnie finally takes her drink. "Perhaps there."

"It does…seem sentimental," Bonnie states after empties half the glass.

"Yes," Rebekah agrees and rises. "We'll start there."

Bonnie finishes the rest of her drink and stands. She gets maybe two or three steps before the door opens again. Her eyes narrow on reflex. _Klaus_. The entirety of their confrontation this evening is quick to playback in her mind. "If you're here to stop us then _save your breath_," Bonnie spits.

He doesn't acknowledge her words. At least not in the way she has expected. He is soaked to the bone just as she is. Water runs down his face and he doesn't move beyond the door. "You two better come with me." There is no hint of malicious glee in his tone (Bonnie is used to that); nor is there anger. He speaks in a matter of fact manner. "_Quickly_."

"You've found Marcel," Rebekah deduces.

Klaus gives a nod of his head and Bonnie's features furrow together in confusion. He sees this. "I did tell you that I would take your advice under advisement. In the end, however, it was not hard to locate him." He gestures towards the door. "Come along before he gets it in his head to hide again." Bonnie decides not to question him at the moment. She weaves through the empty tables of Rousseau's. Rebekah is on her heels. Klaus takes a moment to glance in the direction of Cami. "Be careful when you leave for the night. It is not safe at the moment."

"Go to hell," Cami answer decisively.

Klaus presses his lips together and then they exit into the rain.

"You really _pissed _her off," Bonnie states but knows that is a story for another day (if it will be even shared at all). "What do you mean, Klaus? When you said it wasn't hard to find him."

"You'll understand soon enough."

**X**

Despite the rain, the entire building is engulfed in flames.

She had seen the smoke, black and curling into the sky, long before she laid eyes on it. Now she stands somewhat dumbstruck even as the sirens grow louder. "Oh my God," she breathes. _Fire_ - the last element. Not even a few hours have passed since water had filled Davina's lungs and tried to drown her from within. "They're not in there are they?" She asked, panicked at the thought.

Rebekah seems equally distressed. Her head is tilted and the orange hue of the fire stains her skin. "We were going to build a home here…" She breathes. "Our safe haven. I should have thought of it first."

Klaus says nothing of his sister's reference to the romance he denied her. Instead he focuses on Bonnie's question. "It won't die. The fire. That's how I knew," he tells her.

"Where are they, Klaus? Where is _Marcel_?" Rebekah asks and panic seems to have set in.

Klaus is quick to turn their attention to the pair huddled together on the seats of an outdoor café. Both she and Rebekah heave a sigh of relief. "It went quick according to Marcel. One moment they were fine; the next they were surrounded. I helped them and in doing so, I believe I heard the little witch make a decision." He gives Bonnie a pointed look.

She takes the cue and moves quickly across the street, away from the heat of the fire. Davina is wrapped in Marcel's arms, her eyes wide as she takes in the destruction she has caused. She shivers, no doubt more from the magic within her than the cold. When she sees Bonnie she shifts, pulling herself into a seat position. Her eyelids flutter for a second and then she looks up at Marcel.

He is staring straight ahead.

Davina takes a deep breath, obviously upset but the current state of her protector. "I almost got him killed, Bonnie," she whispers quietly. Marcel tenses but she ignores it to push forward. "I meant what I said earlier - I can't do this anymore. I can't put anyone else in danger _and_ I can't ignore the reality of this all." She frees herself from Marcel's grasp and stands on shaky legs. "You told me I had a choice and I making it. No more arguments. No more trying to talk me out of it."

Marcel's head falls.

"I am ready, Bonnie. For the Harvest."


End file.
